Government shutdown affects SNAP benefits
State health officials say food aid could be cut off for millions of people if the government doesn’t reopen in the coming days.
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- President Trump said he would meet with Democratic leaders only after the federal government reopens.
- The government shutdown that began on October 1st has furloughed more than 750,000 federal employees.
- Democrats want to pass a spending bill that would make the Affordable Care Act’s tax cuts permanent.
- Republicans and the president want to address the ACA tax cuts separately from the budget impasse.
- Essential services such as the U.S. Postal Service and Social Security payments will continue, but some food assistance programs could quickly run out of funding.
President Donald Trump told Democratic leaders on Tuesday (October 21) that he does not plan to meet with them until the 22-day federal government shutdown ends.
President Trump told reporters that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had requested to meet with them “any time, any place.” “I would like to meet with both of them, but I have one small caveat: I will only meet if they will open up the country to me.”
The closure was the second longest in U.S. history, tied with the 1995-1996 closure. If the shutdown continues until Wednesday, October 23, it will be the second-longest shutdown since the 35-day shutdown that began on December 22, 2018, and ended on January 25, 2019, during the Trump administration’s first term.
Is the federal government still closed?
Yes, the federal government has remained largely shut down since shortly after midnight on October 1st.
More than 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed and ordered not to report to work. Employees deemed essential to public safety, such as military personnel, law enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents, and air traffic controllers, are required to work regardless.
President Trump signed an executive order directing the Pentagon to keep active-duty military members paid despite the government shutdown, but this does not apply to all federal employees who are required to work. There is also no guarantee that additional funds will be available to pay the military until the government reopens.
What do Democrats and Republicans want from reopening the government?
Democrats want to secure tax breaks for the 24 million Americans who get insurance through the Affordable Care Act (known as Obamacare) and refuse to support government spending bills that do not address the issue.
Senate Democrats want to make the tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year, permanent and provide reassurance to prevent the Trump administration from temporarily withholding funds.
Republicans and the president have said they are open to considering fixes to the expiring ACA tax cuts, but want the issue to be addressed separately from the ongoing budget impasse.
What about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid?
According to the Social Security Administration’s closure plan, the agency will continue issuing retirement and disability benefits, but will furlough 12% of its employees and suspend marketing campaigns.
Payments will continue under the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs as well.
Will American mail be delivered?
The USPS said in a statement that it is open because the U.S. Postal Service is not dependent on Congress for funding.
What about the airport?
More than 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees will be required to report to work during the shutdown, and neither group is expected to be paid until Congress approves a budget.
The Federal Aviation Administration acknowledged on Tuesday, Oct. 21, that air traffic control staffing issues are causing flight delays at Houston and Newark airports.
According to Reuters, more than 163 flights at Houston Bush Airport were delayed by 7 p.m. ET, or about 12% of flights, according to flight tracking service FlightAware. More than 170 flights, or about 15%, were delayed at Newark Liberty International in New Jersey.
Will food assistance continue under SNAP and WIC?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest food assistance program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, will continue to operate as funds allow.
But the federal agency warned that if the shutdown doesn’t end, there won’t be enough money to pay all of November’s SNAP benefits.
State health officials across the country, including North Carolina, Wisconsin and Minnesota, have begun warning recipients that they may run out of money for November.
What does the military shutdown mean for the military?
President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense to ensure active duty military personnel are paid despite the federal government shutdown.
As of Oct. 15, 1.3 million active-duty military personnel received paychecks, but about 55% of the Pentagon’s 740,000 civilian workforce has been furloughed, including employees in training, acquisition, and administrative support. Civilians in cybersecurity, medical care, weapons systems maintenance, intelligence and logistics are still working and are not included in President Trump’s order to pay active duty employees.
The National Guard, which President Trump deployed to American cities, must also remain active.
What about Homeland Security, Immigration and Border Patrol agents?
Only 5% of the Department of Homeland Security’s 271,000 employees are furloughed, including those involved in research, planning, training and auditing.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed on October 16 that more than 70,000 sworn law enforcement officers across the department, including officers in Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration, and other critical mission areas, will be paid for all hours worked during the shutdown.
Contributors: USA TODAY’s Joey Garrison, Bert Jansen, Melina Khan, Robecca Morin, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy and Zachary Shermele. Reuters
