We’re on day 42 of the government shutdown, which has set a record for the longest shutdown in American history. On Sunday evening, a group of moderate Democrats broke from their caucus to negotiate with Senate Republicans on a deal to reopen the government. A series of votes in both chambers will be necessary to approve the bill, and most House members will need time to return to D.C. to hold the vote in their chamber after it is approved by the Senate.
By the end of the week, Congress is expected to approve an appropriations package that has two main components: 1) a short-term funding measure to continue government spending through January 30; and 2) a “minibus” appropriations package consisting of full-year funding for programs under the three appropriations bills: agriculture (which includes funding for SNAP and WIC), military construction/veterans and the legislative branch. The package includes the following provisions affecting nutrition-related social safety net programs:
- SNAP, child nutrition (school breakfasts and lunches) and WIC are fully funded through September 30, 2026
- WIC’s funding is $8.2 billion, which continues the bipartisan tradition of fully funding WIC
- The contingency funds for SNAP and WIC were replenished. The USDA had tapped into these funds to begin funding November SNAP payments last week amidst a flurry of rapidly changing guidance to states from the USDA in accordance with a series of court rulings related to the unprecedented suspension of SNAP benefits.
- The language accompanying the bill includes a directive to USDA to issue the remainder of November SNAP benefits for households that were issued partial allotments “as soon as practicable.”
Over the last six weeks, the American people have suffered as a result of this shutdown. Around 700,000 federal workers have been furloughed, and another 700,000 have been working without pay. Air travel has been a nightmare with thousands of flights canceled over the last week and air travelers being stuck in increasing long security lines as TSA workers stopped showing up to work. And, of course, the shutdown led to the first suspension of SNAP benefits in our nation’s history, with millions of American families being abruptly cut off from their food benefits. Over the weekend, the Trump administration continued to fight tooth and nail to ensure that SNAP benefits were not released to hungry families, challenging multiple court orders requiring the administration to make partial, and then full, SNAP payments for November.
As an anti-poverty advocate, I’m disgusted by the administration’s decision to needlessly fight court rulings to provide nutrition assistance to those with the least among us. Food is a basic need, and we should never use it as a bargaining chip in a political battle. The Trump administration managed to find the $6.5B needed to continue to pay the military during the shutdown– twice! They managed to find the funds to pay 70,000 Department of Homeland Security officials, including ICE agents. They even managed to find the funds to facilitate a $40B bailout package for Argentina. But, when it came to feeding children, the elderly, and those with disabilities, the Trump administration not only did not lift a single finger to help find temporary funding for the program, they neglected to use the funds available to them in the program’s contingency fund, AND they appealed the court’s eventual ruling to fund the program. I find this to be morally reprehensible.
As the shutdown comes to a close this week, we have to ask ourselves: are Americans better off now than they were six weeks ago? I think that the answer is no. Families are desperately waiting for their EBT cards to be replenished. Many food banks and food pantries are completely depleted, and others are being stretched to their absolute limits. Even once food benefits are distributed for the month, those who are reliant on the program will now live with a new fear hanging over their heads– a fear that their benefits could disappear at any time, and that our government seemingly feels no responsibility to maintain one the country’s most effective safety net programs. Individuals living in poverty already live with such a high degree of uncertainty in their day-to-day lives; this will almost certainly exacerbate the poverty-related stress they experience.
The original impetus for the shutdown was to force an extension of enhanced premium tax credits for those who purchase Affordable Care Act (ACA) healthcare plans directly from the government. (Our original statement on the shutdown has a detailed explainer.) The Democrats who are breaking from their caucus to end the shutdown are claiming a partial victory on this front, noting that part of their negotiations with Senate Republicans was to secure a vote on an extension of subsidies next month. But many other Democrats across the country are crying foul, noting that the promise of a vote amounts to… well, nothing. And it’s hard to blame them, when Speaker Mike Johnson refused to commit to a vote on extending ACA tax credits as recently as yesterday.
So, in summary: marketplace healthcare premiums have skyrocketed, millions of Americans are trying to determine if they’ll be able to afford health insurance in 2026, 42 million Americans are waiting for grocery funds, and we’ve unlocked a new omnipresent fear that grocery benefits are far from a guarantee under this administration. For humans who need both food and healthcare to survive, times are rough.
But, not all hope is lost. Thirteen Republican Congressmen sent a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson last month, urging him to take up ACA subsidies immediately after the shutdown, citing concerns from their constituents. The pressure that we’re putting on Congress is working–so we can’t let up. Continue to reach out to your elected officials and demand that they make healthcare more affordable.
Next year, the American people will have a chance to cast ballots for all 435 House members and 33 US Senators. For those of us who want a government whose top priority is meeting the basic needs of Americans, I would suggest that you pay close attention to how your elected officials vote– not just this week, but as Congress takes up the issue of healthcare affordability in the weeks and months ahead. It’s one thing to make promises– and it’s another to cast a vote accordingly. And right now, the majority of our elected officials are letting us down.
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