The government shutdown left many federal employees furloughed, flights delayed across the country, small businesses unable to get loans and nonprofit services in jeopardy. There is a possibility of it getting worse.
As Congress remains deadlocked over passing a stopgap measure to reopen the government, thousands of Americans are at risk of losing benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC); and other events in early November.
An additional burden on Americans is the start of open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, on November 1, where they will see more expensive health insurance premium plans unless lawmakers act.
Democrats and Republicans have spent weeks pointing fingers at each other, but no agreement appears to be in sight. Senate on Tuesday failed to advance The Republican stopgap measure to end the shutdown for a 13th time while the House was out of session and President Trump was on a foreign trip.
As uncertainty over the timeline of the shutdown grows by the day, here are six ways Americans will begin to feel more of the effects of the shutdown.
federal employee
At least 670,000 federal workers have been furloughed as of October 24, while about 730,000 are working without pay. for data from The Center for Bipartisan Policy, a think tank based in Washington, DC, estimates that if the shutdown continues into early December, federal civilian employees will lose about 4.5 million wages.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the nation’s largest federal employee union, urged Congress to pass a “clean” funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, to reopen the government. AFGE President Everett Kelly A statement dated October 27 said“No half-measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every federal employee back to work with full pay today.”
However, House and Senate Democrats have resisted the pressure From the union.
“I understand where they’re coming from. We also want the shutdown to end. But basically, if Trump and the Republicans continue to refuse to negotiate with us on a way to reduce health care costs, we’re in the same place we’ve always been,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) told The Hill on Tuesday.
SNAP and WIC
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the benefits will not be released on Nov. 1 for SNAP, a program that helps low-income families buy food. About 42 million Americans rely on SNAP benefits each month, According to USDA data,
Although the USDA was formed a plan first This year it was said that the department was obliged to use contingency funds to pay benefits during the shutdown, this has since been removed. USDA wrote in a memorandum This month’s contingency fund is designed only for emergency situations such as “natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and floods, which can strike quickly and without notice.”
Democratic officials in more More than two dozen states sued The Trump administration countered this week, arguing that the USDA is legally required to use those funds. But House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) have claimed them The funds are “not legally available.”
Families who rely on WIC, a program that provides food support And other services provided to low-income pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children under 5 may also face disruption. the White House provided $300 million to WIC to keep the program running in early October. But 44 organizations signed the National WIC Association’s October 24 letter to the white house Requests an additional $300 million in emergency funding, warning that “many states are projected to exhaust their resources for WIC benefits” by November 1.
military pay
Pay day is coming up this weekend for members of the military.
Earlier this month, Trump directed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to “use all available funds” to pay the troops. the officialsreallocation finished$8 billion in unspent funds for the Pentagon’s research and development efforts for service member salaries. the administration didalso receivedA $130 million donation from a private donor to help cover military members’ paychecks.
Vice President Vance said he believes active duty service members will get paid this Friday. But Treasury Secretary Scott Besant told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on Sundaysoldiers could goWithout pay on November 15 if the shutdown continues.
senate democratstopped a billSponsored by Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) earlier this month to pay active duty members and other essential federal workers.
aca subsidies
At the center of the shutdown fight are ACA subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Democrats are urging Republicans to increase the subsidies, arguing that the cost of ACA health insurance premiums will increase if no action is taken.
Americans canChoose their insurance plansThe federal Affordable Care Act exchanges for next year go live on the website starting Saturday. OneAnalysis from KFFfound that without increasing subsidies, however, Americans would see their marketplace premium payments increase by an average of 114%.
Republicans have remained steadfast in their position on reopening the government before discussing ACA subsidies.
Speaker Johnson said at a press conference on Monday, “The Obamacare subsidies expiring at the end of the year are a serious problem. If you look at it objectively, you know it’s subsidizing bad policy. We’re throwing good money at a bad, broken system, and so it needs real reforms.”
early lead
If the shutdown extends beyond Nov. 1, about 140 Head Start programs serving more than 65,000 children in 41 states and Puerto Rico could implode.for a joint statementOver 100 national, state, and local organizations focused on early childhood education and development.
“Without funding, many of these programs will be forced to close their doors, leaving children without care, teachers without pay, and parents without the ability to work,” the statement said.
The Head Start program is designed to provide low-income families and their children from birth to age five with a focus on health and wellness services, family well-being and engagement, and early childhood education.According to its website.
non-profit organizations
Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, told The Hill in a statement that the shutdown has forced many nonprofits to halt their operations because of federal reimbursements and grants.
Yentel said nonprofits include those responding to wildfires in Colorado, housing vulnerable youth in Utah and helping with conservation work in Montana. Many unpaid federal employees have also turned to their local food banks, increasing the financial pressure on nonprofits.
“With the November 1 cutoff of SNAP and WIC, the situation will get even worse. Nonprofit food banks are already facing rising grocery costs and increased demand, including from federal workers and military families, Yentel said. “If millions of Americans suddenly lose access to these life-saving nutrition programs, local nonprofits will be overwhelmed, and too many seniors, children and families will be left without help.”
