SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Following Congress’s vote to reopen the federal government, the Alliance for a Better Utah today released its Q3 2025 Congressional Quarterly Report, offering the first look at how the shutdown affected Utah’s economy, families, and public services.
The report finds that the weeks-long impasse over skyrocketing healthcare premiums came with serious consequences for the state, including an estimated $680 million in lost economic output per month, delayed paychecks for nearly 58,000 federal workers, and halted SNAP food benefits for more than 169,000 Utahns.
“This shutdown wasn’t an accident. It was the direct result of political gamesmanship in Washington,” said Chase Thomas, Deputy Director of Alliance for a Better Utah. “While Utahns were missing paychecks and losing access to food and healthcare, members of Congress were posturing instead of problem-solving. That’s not leadership—it’s negligence.”
The report breaks down the economic, workforce, tourism, and health impacts of the 2025 shutdown, showing how federal dysfunction in Washington cascaded into local pain across Utah.
“Utahns value responsibility, cooperation, and service,” Thomas added. “We deserve representatives who reflect those values, not ones who use everyday Utah families as bargaining chips in ideological fights.”
The Congressional Quarterly Report is part of Better Utah’s ongoing effort to hold Utah’s federal delegation accountable to the people they represent. Each edition tracks how members of Congress are voting, communicating, and prioritizing Utah’s interests in Washington. The full Q3 2025 Congressional Quarterly Report is available at https://betterutah.org/cqreport
