Donald Trump’s government shutdown is threatening the most basic support systems for working families. As the impasse drags into its fourth week, essential programs that keep children learning and families housed are being pushed to the edge of collapse.
The early-education program Head Start, which serves low-income preschool children through federal grants, is at risk of closing next month because of Trump’s shutdown.
Without new funding in the coming weeks, more than 130 Head Start programs in 41 states, serving over 65,000 children and their families, are expected to lose critical federal funding needed to remain open. Thousands of children could lose their classrooms, and thousands of parents could lose the child care they rely on to work and keep their families stable. The ripple effect throughout communities will be felt beyond education as local employers and their workers struggle to navigate the loss of reliable, affordable childcare.
The pain doesn’t stop with education. Across the country, rural housing loan programs are delayed or frozen due to the Department of Agriculture furloughing staff who carry out essential functions like the Rural Development housing program, where no new loans, grants, or loan guarantees would be issued during a shutdown.
Programs such as the USDA Section 521 Rental Assistance Program, which subsidizes rent for tenants in certain USDA-financed rural properties, may continue payments only while funds last. After about 30 days of a shutdown in past instances, these payments became less certain.
Families waiting for rental assistance are stuck in limbo, worrying about delays of rent payments to their landlords and public housing authorities, or even delaying the process of issuing a new voucher. At the same time, rural homebuyers and small communities lose access to vital federal loan programs that keep housing affordable.
“Trump’s political games have consequences, and they are being felt in every community where children need care, families need housing, and working people are doing everything right but still getting left behind,” said American Bridge 21st Century spokesperson Brandon Weathersby. “The people who rely on these programs are not asking for handouts; they are asking for fairness, stability, and the chance to build a future, but Trump keeps putting his own interests ahead of the country. He is gambling with people’s livelihoods to score political points, and the cost is being paid by families who just want a fair shot at a decent life.”
Published: Oct 24, 2025 | Last Modified: Nov 13, 2025