Spiraling effects of the shutdown leave lawmakers grasping for ways to end it
WASHINGTON (AP) — Certain senators I know this. House Speaker Mike Johnson he knows this. and with President Donald Trump When you return to Washington foreign tripMaybe the White House knows this too.
For many, the time has come government shutdown come to an end
from coast to coast, fall out from Dysfunction of a closed federal government coming home: Alaskans are stocking up on moose, caribou and fish for the winter, and before SNAP food assistance planned to be stopped. Maine people are filling up their fuel tanks to heat their homes, but are waiting for federal subsidies that are nowhere in sight.
Flights are delayed with holiday travel just around the corner. Workers leave without getting paid. And Americans are seeing this for the first time. skyrocketing health insurance costs They are at the center of the stalemate on Capitol Hill.
“People are getting stressed,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as food options dwindle in her state.
“We are long past the time to put this behind us.”
The shutdown is not expected to end before Saturday’s deadline, especially as quiet talks continue among bipartisan senators. Americans’ deep food insecurity — one in eight people rely on the government to provide enough food — could become apparent if federal SNAP funds run out.
There is money for the army but no food aid
The White House has distributed money to pay the military but refuses to allocate funds for food aid. Actually Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” It became law this summer and delivers the most significant cuts yet. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance ProgramThe program, known as SNAP, is estimated to result in approximately 2.4 million people leaving the program.
At the same time, many Americans who buy their own health insurance through federal and state marketplaces, where enrollment is open as of Saturday, are experiencing sticker shock as premium prices rise.
“We’re holding food over poor people’s heads so we can take away their healthcare,” the Rev. Ryan Stoess said during a prayer with religious leaders at the U.S. Capitol.
“God help us,” he said, “when it comes to cruelty.”
Deadlines have been moved to next week
Parliament remained closed during Johnson’s term last month. Senators are getting ready to hit the road Thursday for the long weekend. Trump returns late Thursday after a whirlwind tour of Asia.
This is now in its 30th day and the shutdown looks certain to extend for another week, putting it on track to become the world’s largest market. longest in historyThis surpasses the 35-day period that ended in 2019 during Trump’s first term due to his demands to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
The next turning point came after Tuesday’s off-year elections. New York mayoral racetogether Elections in Virginia and New Jersey will determine the governors of these states. Many think they may be ready to reach a deal after the winners and losers are announced and Democrats and Republicans evaluate their political standing with voters.
“I hope this leaves people free to open up the government,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.
GOP cuts SNAP in Trump’s big bill
Republicans, who hold the majority in Congress, find themselves in an unusual position; they defend furloughed federal workers and shuttered programs they have long sought to cut; this includes most recently Trump’s massive tax cuts and nearly $1 trillion in cuts to the spending bill.
Medicaid, the health care program and SNAP food assistance took big hits this summer, in part because of new work requirements. The new requirements for SNAP recipients, many of whom must already work, also extend to older Americans up to age 64 and parents of older school-age children.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Republicans now “have the courage” to suggest that stopping food aid is a political strategy.
“We’re trying to improve the quality of life for the American people,” Jeffries, from New York, said of his party.
“The American people realize that Republicans have a crisis in healthcare,” he said. “The American people understand that Republicans have made the largest cut in nutrition assistance in American history, cutting $186 billion from their big, ugly bills.”
During summer debates on Trump’s massive bill, Johnson and other Republicans railed against what they described as lazy Americans, using what the House speaker called the “gravy train” of government aid.
Speaker spoke about healthy young men playing video games He insisted that new operating requirements for assistance programs would eliminate what he called “waste, fraud and abuse” when receiving Medicaid health benefits.
“Again, we’re talking about able-bodied workers, many of whom are refusing to work because they’re gaming the system,” Johnson said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” in the spring.
“And when we get these working, it will be better for everyone, it will be a win-win-win situation for everyone,” he said.
What is out of reach for now is any reduction in new healthcare prices. published this weekWhen federal subsidies that help offset these costs are scheduled to expire at the end of the year, that’s expected to put insurance out of reach for many Americans.
Democrats are continuing negotiations with Trump and Republicans to keep those subsidies in place. Republicans say they can resolve the issue later when the government reopens.
__
Associated Press writer Matt Brown contributed to this report.
