The federal government shutdown has entered its 17th day. On Thursday, the Senate failed to advance a Republican-sponsored stopgap funding bill for the 10th time, as Democrats continue to demand Republicans rescind deep cuts to Medicaid and restore tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people. The Senate also failed to advance a Defense Department appropriations bill to fully fund the U.S. military for a year. Meanwhile, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, known as SNAP, has begun denying new applications in some places, with some 40 million low-income people at risk of losing benefits if the shutdown drags into November.