The Washington Informer: Government Reopens After Record Shutdown. What Comes Next?

November 13. 2025

Executive Director Noreen Farrell is featured in a Washington Informer story about the disproportionate impact of the government shut down on low-income families and communities of color.

“The longest shutdown in U.S. history has left women, families, and frontline workers twisting in the wind while politicians play power games,” Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates, said. “When the government does not work, working people and those who rely on public programs pay the price.”

Farrell said women have borne the brunt of furloughs and missed paychecks, the collapse and confusion around nutrition assistance, and the suspension of economic data that helps track wage discrimination. She warned that the temporary funding deal does not guarantee Affordable Care Act subsidies and leaves millions, particularly women and children, at risk of losing affordable coverage.

“For the women and families that depend on effective government, this shutdown was another reminder that they are too often used as political pawns and ignored in the final compromise,” Farrell said. “A functional democracy does not leave its people on their own. Congress must restore trust and act now to ensure this type of impasse does not happen again in a few months.”

Read the article.