Barbara Sprunt Barbara Sprunt is a correspondent on NPR's Washington Desk covering Congress.
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Barbara Sprunt

Barbara Sprunt

Correspondent

Barbara Sprunt is a correspondent on NPR's Washington Desk, covering Congress. She's previously reported and produced NPR's political coverage at the White House, on the campaign trail, and for the NPR Politics Podcast. She is an alumnus of the Paul Miller Reporting Fellowship at the National Press Foundation. Sprunt got her start in radio at as an intern on NPR's Weekend All Things Considered and Tell Me More with Michel Martin. She graduated from American University in Washington, D.C.

Story Archive

Thursday

Sunday

Both parties under pressure to reopen government as food benefits stop and health premiums soar

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Saturday

Volunteers at the Lutheran Settlement House unload donations of fresh produce and dried goods from the back of a truck on October 30, 2025 in Philadelphia. Starting on Saturday, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP benefits are set to lapse, impacting millions of Americans amid the government shutdown. Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Matthew Hatcher/AFP via Getty Images

Friday

As the strain of the shutdown increases, lawmakers face mounting pressure to end it

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Wednesday

Food banks and state governments work to bridge aid gaps as SNAP cutoff looms

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Mary Ann Edwards takes stock of inventory at the Llano Food Pantry in central Texas on October 23, 2025. She said the pantry has seen increased need because of rising costs of goods over the last year. With SNAP benefits set to halt barring Congressional intervention, she expects to see "a bunch of new people coming in." Barbara Sprunt/NPR hide caption

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Tuesday

Volunteers Cindy Leiva, left, and David Simon, right, help load a vehicle during a food distribution targeting federal employee households affected by the federal shutdown as well as SNAP recipients, on Oct. 27, 2025, in San Antonio. Eric Gay/Associated Press hide caption

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Eric Gay/Associated Press

Millions Of Americans Set To Lose Federal Food Aid Nov. 1 Due To Shutdown

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Saturday

What one Texas Republican Congressman tells his constituents about the shutdown

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Wednesday

Health insurance is at the center of the government shutdown battle

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Tuesday

Pages from the U.S. Affordable Care Act health insurance website healthcare.gov are seen on a computer screen in New York, Aug. 19, 2025. Patrick Sison/Associated Press hide caption

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Patrick Sison/Associated Press

Saturday

It’s Day 4 of the U.S. government shutdown. Is an agreement on the horizon?

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Tuesday

Shutdown appears inevitable without last ditch intervention

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Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and other members of Senate GOP leadership spoke with reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America

Monday

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (right), D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., deliver remarks following a meeting with President Trump at the White House on Monday in Washington, D.C. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

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Congressional leaders head to White House ahead of shutdown deadline

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Sunday

Trump meets congressional leaders as shutdown deadline nears

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Friday

Trump administration threatens large-scale layoffs if government shuts down

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Thursday

New threats from the White House as a government shutdown looms

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Saturday

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, right, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speak with members of the press on Capitol Hill on Sept. 11. The two New York Democrats are asking President Trump for a meeting before an impending government shutdown. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

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Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Friday

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, at the Federal Reserve Board Building in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Federal Reserve Lowers Rates, But Less Than Trump Wants

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., departs a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Johnson has been working to rally House Republicans behind a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown, while also navigating growing pressure to boost security for lawmakers in the wake of Charlie Kirk's killing. Kent Nishimura/Getty Images hide caption

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Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Wednesday

Charlie Kirk's murder amplifies safety concerns among federal lawmakers

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Tuesday

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 4: The Dome of the U.S. Capitol Building is visible as U.S. Capitol Police bicycle along the East Front of the U.S. Capitol Building on March 4, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/Getty Images North America hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images/Getty Images North America

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