#federal-government-shutdown

#federal-government-shutdown

With temperatures beginning to drop in areas across the United States, some states are warning that funding for the program is being delayed because of the federal government shutdown, now in its fifth week. The anticipated delay comes as a majority of the 5.9 million households served by the federally funded heating and cooling assistance program are grappling with the sudden postponement of benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.

According to the Trump administration, funding will run out for the food assistance program that is relied upon by 42 million Americans to supplement their grocery bills. The administration has rejected using more than $5 billion in contingency funds to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program flowing into November. SNAP helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries using debit cards normally loaded each month by the federal government.

San Jose Mineta International airport isn't airing a video of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for operational delays during the federal shutdown due to its political content. Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento and Stockton have also chosen to not play Noem's video in their airports. In the 37-second video, Noem said airport operations are being impacted and federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees are working without pay because "Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government."

Its beneficiaries are expected to feel the impact within one to two weeks. The program in question is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known by its acronym WIC, which has a yearly budget of $8 billion. It provides vouchers for infant formula, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables, skim milk, and other healthy staples

OMB chief Russ Vought told House Republicans on a private call Wednesday that the administration will start mass reduction in force moves, or firings, of federal workers in a day or two, according to four people granted anonymity to describe the call. Vought and President Donald Trump have both threatened to inflict maximum pain on Democrats during the shutdown as Senate Republicans hope to peel off additional Democrats in the coming days to vote for the GOP-led stopgap to end the standoff.