The next Senate vote to reopen the government is scheduled for Oct. 20, when the funding lapse will be the third longest in history.
Airports manage staff as government shutdown delays flights
Despite the government shutdown, essential businesses and staff are working at the airport. As the closure continues, the risk of aircraft delays remains.
WASHINGTON – The government shutdown has entered its 17th day with no end in sight as federal workers, including military personnel, are left without paychecks and benefits such as food assistance dry up.
The Pentagon has moved the funds to meet the Oct. 15 payday for active-duty soldiers, but the Oct. 31 payments are unclear, raising concerns about how they will make ends meet. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which 42 million people nationwide rely on, will not be able to pay out full benefits in November if the shutdown continues.
No relief is visible on the horizon. The next Senate vote is scheduled for October 20th. At that point, the shutdown would be the third-longest in history, surpassing the 19-day defunding period in 1978 under President Jimmy Carter. The longest shutdown was 35 days in 2018 and 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has warned that if the government shutdown does not end, there will not be enough money to pay all SNAP benefits for November. “If current spending shortfalls continue, approximately 42 million Americans will not have the funds to fully pay their November SNAP benefits,” the letter to state officials, dated Oct. 10, said.
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.
Melissa Schott, a case manager at Fair Tide, a housing nonprofit and thrift store, told Foster’s Daily Democrat in New York that rising property taxes and the approach of winter have heightened concerns about rising costs. “People are very afraid that their basic needs won’t be met,” she said. “I get calls every day about rent, food and utilities.
After 10 o’clockth An Oct. 16 vote on reopening the government failed, but the Senate is scheduled to vote again on Oct. 20 on the House-passed bill.
So far, three senators who caucus with Democrats have joined Republicans in voting in favor of reopening the government. But Republicans need five more Democrats to meet the 60-vote threshold needed to advance the bill.
Voting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
Not only did the Senate fail to reopen the government, it also failed to muster enough votes to advance a bill to fund the Pentagon.
If approved, the bill could also resolve questions about how military members are paid, which active-duty military members say is “nervous.” The Pentagon transferred the funds in time for the Oct. 15 payday, but the Oct. 31 paycheck remains uncertain if the shutdown lasts that long.
New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen voted in favor of bringing forward the defense spending bill. She joins Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. They regularly vote with Republicans and independent Sen. Angus King of Maine to reopen the government.
But most Democrats continued to oppose it even during the health care spending stalemate. The vote was 50-44 (six absentees), falling short of the 60 votes needed to move forward.
