The government shutdown will be four weeks old tomorrow, and there’s little sign of movement in the standoff. That could change before long as the pain of the shutdown is about get much more severe, with more federal employees missing paychecks; Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, formerly known as food stamps, expected to run out in states across the country; and families learning how much higher their Affordable Care Act health plan premiums are going to be for next year.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted a highly political notice on its website blaming Democrats for failing to fund the food stamp program and saying that no benefits will be issued on November 1. “Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the site says.
Democrats have reportedly asked Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to tap into some $5 billion in contingency funds to help pay for the November benefits for more than 40 million Americans, but the Trump administration has ruled out doing so, and a USDA memo reportedly said that “contingency funds are not legally available to cover regular benefits.”
The Trump administration has taken legally dubious steps to cover other costs during the shutdown, most notably paychecks for military service members.
Union calls for a ‘clean’ funding bill: As the shutdown pressures build, the largest union representing federal workers on Monday called for lawmakers to end the impasse immediately by passing a “clean” continuing resolution — the path Republicans have been demanding.
“[I]t’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today,” Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in a statement. “No half measures, and no gamesmanship. Put every single federal worker back on the job with full back pay — today.”
Democrats have been pressing Republicans to engage in negotiations focused primarily on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans, who are divided on the subsidies and, in many cases, continue to oppose the Affordable Care Act itself, have insisted that negotiations on healthcare can take place only after the government reopens.
In his statement, Kelley argued that his call to reopen the government doesn’t favor either side. “It’s long past time for our leaders to put aside partisan politics and embrace responsible government,” he wrote. “A strong America requires a functioning government — one that pays its bills, honors its commitments, and treats its workforce with respect by paying them on time.”