As of Wednesday, the government has been shut down for 22 days, making it the second longest government shutdown in US history. With millions of Americans at risk of losing their food stamps, Democrats and Republicans appear to be close to a lawsuit that will bring the government to a shutdown.
According to the Washington Post, more than 42 million Americans receive benefits from the National Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Food stamps help low-income Americans supplement their food budgets to ensure that their families have enough food. New Jersey, California, Texas, and several other states have warned that several Snap benefits will be delayed or canceled entirely if the government shutdown continues on Oct. 27.
“You’re talking about millions and millions of vulnerable families – hungry families – that won’t be able to access these programs because of this shutdown,” Agriculture Secretary Broker Gollins said last week.
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There is also concern that schools will not be able to provide free, federally funded lunches to students, according to NPR. While the USDA sent out an emergency plan before the shutdown to notify them of funds they cannot tap into to provide money for free food, the shutdown continued in November.
While the Senate held some votes that failed to fund the government, it is not clear whether the vote will take place on Wednesday, as the votes are cast on Wednesday, as CBS news Jeff Merkley (D-Ore. Merkley, whose name is one of the several things where Trump has sent the national guard, has been talking about the fight against Trump’s reputation in Authoritarianism.
“I came to the Senate floor this evening complaining about the alarm bells,” Merkkey said at the start of his speech. “We are in the most powerful moment, the greatest threat to our Republic since the Civil War. President Trump is trashing our constitution.”
The government shutdown began in early October when Senate Demopras refused to vote on a spending bill that would have kept the government open. While Republicans hold majorities in the House and Senate, spending requires 60 Senate votes to pass. With Republicans holding a large majority, Senate Democrats have some fresh air on the horizon. At the heart of the rubdown is the expiration of funding for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will result in higher health care premiums for millions of Americans.
Republicans refused to discuss the issue until the government reopened, and Democrats refused to reopen the government until the issue was discussed. Speaker John Thune offered Johte Democrats a vote on funding, but they scoffed at the offer, as Republicans apparently will vote on the measure.
It’s crazy how the GOP will look the other way when we send billions of tax dollars to bet argentina, and spend millions on jets in Palestine, and spend money on American health care where it works. It’s not a complicated problem: The Republican Party hates the working class.
Federal employees are expected to work without pay through the shutdown, with this Friday being the first full paycheck they will miss due to the shutdown. By law, financial workers must be paid when they are out of work, but the Trump administration has tried to argue that some federal workers should not be paid. Clearly, the beliefs of a man who has the best wishes of the American people at heart.
Democrats and Republicans are calling on Trump to negotiate a deal, as he has been more open about the shutdown. “If he participates, he can move it,” Gop Sen. Tuverville told CNN of Trump. “You can make a decision on what we do.”
“At the end of the day, to move the needle and get this thing out of the bubble, President Trump will have to participate,” said Gop Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia. “Whatever will have to happen is possible.” Democrats Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries also called on Trump to come to the negotiating table to attack the deal.
Despite both parties believing that President Trump should step in to negotiate a deal, they don’t seem particularly keen to do so. Trump has taken advantage of the shutdown to make more layoffs, end several programs, and cut money for what he sees as democratic measures.
Two key factors could bring Trump to the negotiating table, however. When the Federal Government used non-discrimination funding to cover military paychecks earlier this month, it was only enough for one pay period. Considering that President Trump is set to send the national guard to many democratic cities, the poor pay could seriously damage the morale of the guards.
The second factor is that the ACA’s open enrollment period begins on November 1, which is when states will begin notifying people how much their insurance premiums will increase without their subsidies. The open enrollment period has already begun in Iowa, where thousands of Iowans are expected next year, because they will no longer be able to pay monthly fees. As more and more people realize they can no longer afford their own health insurance, there may be pressure on Republicans to crack down on subsidies.
BREAKFUT:
Here’s where we stand in the current government shutdown
Mike Johnson says the government shutdown is too long
