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Sept. 30 (UPI) — A lot of federal government employees might be laid off after the Senate votes on a continuing resolution to keep the government open while working on a new budget.

The Senate has scheduled a 5 p.m. EDT vote on the continuing resolution that would fund the government for another month while working on a Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

Democrats and Republicans each have introduced resolutions to keep the government open, but neither is expected to pass as the 2025 fiscal year ends at the end of the day on Tuesday, according to The Hill.

When asked how many federal government workers might be laid off, President Donald Trump told reporters: “We may do a lot, and that’s only because of the Democrats.”

“They want to be able to take care of people who come into our country illegally, and no system can handle that,” Trump said.

“They want to give them full health care benefits, [and] they want to open the wall again,” the president added. “They don’t change.”

The president’s contention about free healthcare benefits for illegal migrants is untrue.

Senate Democrats are proposing to keep the government open through Oct. 31 with a continuing resolution that would extend Affordable Care Act subsidies for health insurance premiums that are scheduled to expire at the end of the year.

They also want to restore $1 trillion in Medicaid reductions that the president said would provide health care for non-citizens, including those who illegally entered the United States.

Congressional leaders met with the president on Monday, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., afterward said the two sides are very far apart on their demands, Roll Call reported.

Schumer said any short-term funding deal must include extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits and that he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., refuse to negotiate an extension separately from a continuing resolution that would keep the government open.

“When they say later, they mean never,” Schumer said of the GOP’s offer to negotiate an extension. “Now is the time we can get it done.”

Senate Republicans favor a “clean” resolution that was approved in the House of Representatives and would keep the government open another seven weeks while Congress continues working on a fiscal year 2026 budget bill.

Either resolution would require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and pass in the Senate.

The House already approved the GOP-proposed continuing resolution that only received 47 votes for versus 45 against in the Senate on Sept. 19.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Thune, R-S.D., intends to hold another vote on the GOP resolution as it was presented on Sept. 19. A vote also is expected on the Democrats’ proposal.

Social Security may be the most valuable retirement asset most Americans have. The pension for retired workers accounted for 20% of families’ total wealth in 2022, according to a study by the Congressional Budget Office. That’s based on a calculation valuing all future payments at present value.

Those future payments get a boost every year, which could make them even more valuable to Americans. The annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) helps benefits keep up with inflation. And while we won’t have the official 2026 COLA number until mid-October, it looks like it’ll come in higher than what analysts anticipated at the start of the year.

But a bigger COLA isn’t necessarily reason for Social Security recipients to celebrate. Here’s what retirees need to know.

Image source: Getty Images.

What’s pushing the 2026 COLA higher?

The annual COLA is based on a standard measure of inflation published every month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics called the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W.

The CPI-W is one of several Consumer Price Index measurements the government publishes. The BLS surveys thousands of businesses and households across the country to collect pricing data on over 200 line items. Those prices are then indexed to a standard price from when the BLS first started collecting data, and weighted according to typical spending patterns of the group the index is supposed to follow. In the case of the CPI-W, the basket of goods represents the spending of working-age adults living in cities.

The Social Security Administration calculates the COLA by taking the average year-over-year increase in the CPI-W during the third quarter, i.e. July, August, and September. The BLS just published August’s CPI numbers on Sept. 11, with the CPI-W climbing 2.8% year over year. That follows a 2.5% increase in July. The final reading to determine the 2026 COLA will come out on Oct. 15.

Based on expectations for that reading, both The Senior Citizen’s League and independent analyst Mary Johnson have published their expectations for next year’s COLA. The former expects it to come in at 2.7% while the latter expects retirees to receive a 2.8% bump. Both estimates are higher than the 2.5% initial estimate The Senior Citizen’s League published before the start of the year.

The reasons for a higher COLA are bad news for 70 million beneficiaries

A bigger-than-expected raise is usually great news for those receiving it, but in the case of Social Security’s 70 million beneficiaries, it signals a challenging economic environment.

The biggest challenge is that the CPI-W doesn’t perfectly match the spending of most seniors. Most people don’t spend their money in retirement the same way they did when they were working age. They probably commute less and spend less on new clothing. They probably have different dining habits. And it’s almost certain that their medical bills have climbed higher as they grow older.

To that end, some of the biggest expenses seniors face are climbing faster than the overall CPI-W numbers. Medical care services were notably 4.2% higher this August than the year before. While gasoline prices were down, utilities were way up. Shelter expenses climbed 3.6%. Despite a 2.7% or 2.8% raise coming in January, most seniors have seen their real cost of living climb much more over the past year.

Rising medical costs are most prominently seen in the Medicare Trustees’ estimate for next year’s Medicare Part B premium. They expect the program will have to charge a standard monthly premium of $206.20 next year, an 11.5% increase from 2025. For those keeping track, that far outpaces the expectations for Social Security’s COLA. Beneficiaries age 65 and older enrolled in Medicare will see that amount come right out of their new monthly payments.

The Senior Citizens League contends this situation isn’t unique to this year’s COLA. It ran a study that estimates the buying power of someone’s benefits who started Social Security in 2010 has decreased 20% through 2024.

The best economic environment for Social Security has historically been slow, steady, and predictable inflation. Under the current administration, which has gone back and forth on trade policies numerous times since the start of the year, prices have become anything but predictable. While many businesses have taken preemptive steps to curb and delay the impact of tariffs, the costs will eventually get passed through to consumers. That could result in even more pain for those on a fixed income next year.

While a 2.7% or 2.8% raise might be bigger than anticipated, many seniors may find that it doesn’t go far enough next year.

IKEA fans won’t have to wait much longer — the Swedish giant’s long-awaited new store will open its doors in just 48 hours.

The brand-new branch, located in Brighton’s Churchill Square Shopping Centre, takes over the former Debenhams site which has been empty since 2021.

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Shoppers will be able to step inside from 10am on Thursday, August 14 , to explore thousands of affordable homeware items, and tuck into the famous meatballs.

Spread across two floors and 6,695 square metres, the store will offer 2,600 products for immediate takeaway and access to the full 12,000-strong range via delivery or collection.

It’s the first full IKEA store in the city, meaning Brighton locals will no longer need to trek to Croydon or Southampton for the full shopping experience.

Bosses say the new shop has been created with the “city at its heart”, with displays inspired by local homes and Brighton’s seaside style.

Six roomsets have been co-created with residents, including ceramicists Adam Johnson and Dan Mackey, to show off colourful, space-saving ideas and a nod to the city’s famous beach huts.

Adam said: “We’ve always loved IKEA because it’s like an interiors disco – and what’s life without a little sparkle?”

The first floor houses a 100-seat Swedish Deli serving meatballs, plantballs and sweet treats, all with sweeping sea views.

The Swedish Food Market will sell ingredients and snacks to enjoy at home.

On the ground floor, bargain hunters can snap up pre-loved and discontinued items in the Re-shop & Re-use area.

There’s also a home planning hub where shoppers can get one-to-one help designing kitchens or bedroom storage.

Quick bites and drinks will be available at the Swedish Bite kiosk.

Market Manager Karina Gilpin said: “Our city centre location in Churchill Square means customers can conveniently drop in while out and about, to seek inspiration for their homes, browse our range, access our expert planning advice, or enjoy our delicious meatballs or plantballs.”

To celebrate the launch, the first 100 IKEA Family Members through the doors will get a blue FRAKTA bag with a mystery gift card worth between £1 and £1,000.

Brighton will be IKEA’s third city-centre store in the UK, following Oxford Street and Hammersmith in London.

The opening is part of the retailer’s push for smaller, high street-friendly locations, moving away from giant out-of-town warehouses.

The Churchill Square store will open 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.

Where is my closest Ikea?

A quick way of figuring out if you have an Ikea store near you is by using the retailer’s locator tool on its website.

You just have to enter the town or city where you live, or your postcode and it will pull up the nearest site.

The same page has a helpful map showing where all of the 21 current stores are located.

Below we reveal the full list of Ikea stores in the UK:

• Croydon
• Hammersmith
• Greenwich
• Lakeside
• Wembley
• Birmingham (Wednesbury)
• Nottingham
• Bristol
• Cardiff
• Exeter
• Belfast
• Manchester
• Warrington
• Edinburgh
• Gateshead
• Glasgow
• Leeds
• Sheffield
• Milton Keynes
• Reading
• Southampton

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LONDON Heathrow Airport has revealed their multi-billion masterplan for the extension of the airport including the controversial third runway.

The huge project is expected to cost nearly £50million, if given the go-ahead by the government.

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The major new upgrade will be the £21billion third runway, which is set to be operational in the next 10 years.

This is the same estimation of costs predicted in 2014 of £14billion, when adjusted for inflation.

The new 3,500 metre runway will be in the northwest of the airport, and will eventually welcome up to 276,000 new flights a year.

This takes the annual flights from 480,000 to 756,000, with as many as 30 new flight routes a day.

It could even welcome more budget airlines, such as easyJet who have expressed desires to launch from London Heathrow with the expansion.

easyJet boss Kenton Jarvis said: “I’ve always thought Heathrow would fit our network of primary airports with great catchment areas.

“It would be a unique opportunity to operate from Heathrow at scale and give us an opportunity to provide lower fares for UK consumers that currently at Heathrow just have the option of flag carriers.”

The airport suggests this could save as much as £79billion over three decades with the addition of low-cost airlines.

A new £15billion terminal complex will also be built, called T5XW and T5XN.

The creation of the new terminals will also see T1 and T3 demolished, and T2 expanded, at the cost of £15billion.

In total, the entire project is expected to cost as much as £49billion.

As many as 150million passengers could then be using the airport, up from 84million.

This would make it the busiest airports in the world, overtaking Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s 105million passengers.

The airport hopes to get planning permission by 2029, if ministers allow the proposal to go ahead.

Other parts of the renovation include a 50 per cent in cargo capacity, and and larger access for buses and trains.

One of the biggest concerns is the access around the M25, a notoriously busy motorway.

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The improvement plans also include the widening the M25 near the Heathrow junctions (at a cost of £1.5billion) which will see a new section in a tunnel under the runway to reduce congestion.

A similar road layout is already in place at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris.

Earlier today, rival plans for a cheaper third runway were put forward.

Arora Group – a major Heathrow landowner – proposed a shorter third runway which would eliminate the need to reroute the M25.

Rather than being 3,500 metres in length, it would be just 2,800 metres.

The plans also include a new T6 terminal, with the full project estimated at £25million – half the cost of the official London Heathrow plans.

Mr Surinder Arora explained in regards to the ‘Heathrow West’ plan: “I am proud to unveil the Heathrow West proposal which meets the UK’s ambition to grow its only hub airport while delivering on time and on budget.”

He added that the Arora Group had a “track record of delivering on-time and on-budget projects including in and around Heathrow airport.”

However, London Heathrow refuted their suggestions in the their own proposal, saying “any other proposal would not have this extensive public scrutiny and policy backing, risking years of delay and judicial review which mean the Government’s timetable would be undeliverable.”

They also said that shorter runways “do not necessarily cost less” as the different location would require buying more residential properties with compensation costs not factored in.

Here’s another mega airport opening in Europe set to take on London Heathrow.

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June 28 (UPI) — Saturday’s Budapest Pride march is expected to have drawn record attendance and participation in opposition to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s anti-LGBTQ policies.

The parade is being held in the Hungarian capital amid threats of legal consequences by Orban and the Hungarian government, including a ban on gatherings that promote homosexuality, the BBC reported.

Hungary’s child protection law restricts such gatherings, but Pride march organizers are being joined by Hungarians and politicians from other European nations to support those who identify as LGBTQ.

“This weekend, all eyes are on Budapest,” European equality commissioner Hadja Lahbib told media in Budapest on Friday.

“This is bigger than one Pride celebration, one Pride march,” Lahbib said. “It is about the right to be who you are, to love who you want, whether it is in Budapest, in Brussels or anywhere else.”

March organizers expected between 35,000 to 40,000 people to participate in the march, but the BBC reported said organizers estimated as many as 200,000 people showed up.

Orban and Hungary’s Fidesz party earlier this year enacted the nation’s child protection law and have said it applies to the Pride march and similar events.

The law also bans the display of LGBTQ promotional materials, which might include the rainbow flag.

Orban has said there won’t be a violent police crackdown on the event, but organizers and participants might be subject to legal prosecution afterward. Facial recognition technology could identify participants, each of whom could be fined up to $500.

“The police could break up such events because they have the authority to do so,” Orban told state-run radio on Friday.

“Hungary is a civilized society [and] a civic society,” Orban continued. “There will be legal consequences, but it cannot reach the level of physical abuse.”

Event participants waved Pride flags and signs mocking Orban, including at least one depicting the prime minister in drag.