As the record-breaking federal government shutdown approaches week six, Democrat and Republican Senate leaders are expressing cautious optimism evan as families face diminished SNAP benefits, government employees remain furloughed, and air travel becomes more difficult.
Community Impact
More than 1.4 million Georgians, and 40 million Americans, will receive 50% of their SNAP benefits for the month of November. This comes after a group of cities and nonprofits, along with a group states, took legal action against the administration’s stance to withhold SNAP contingency funds until the federal government opens. A federal judge ordered the administration to release the funds, although only half the money needed is available in the contingency fund.
SNAP benefits are received at different parts of the month. See the schedule for how they’re administered in Georgia.
To maintain safety as TSA agents and air traffic controllers miss their second paycheck, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced air traffic will be reduced by 10% at 40 high-volume airports, including Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Nearly 700,000 federal workers remain furloughed, impacting the ability of cities to communicate with key agencies.
Please continue to let our Manager of Federal Relations, Molly McLoughlin, know about impacts of the shutdown you may be experiencing. We also continue to work with the National League of Cities to support cities during the uncertainty.
Resolving the Shutdown
Still at question is the new stopgap funding date, since the original continuing resolution (CR) only funded the government until November 21, two weeks from now. Both parties are split internally on how long they should extend the funding deadline. Ideas range from December this year to the same time next year, which would keep spending levels passed in 2024 during the Biden Administration.
Although several plans are being floated to pass a CR, a sticking point in the negotiations has emerged, moving forward on a package of three full-year appropriations bills to fund Agriculture-FDA, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch.
At this point in the shutdown, fissures in both parties are coming into focus. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is urging Senate Democrats to continue to hold out on a vote until they have assurances on extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance subsides. Meanwhile, a select group of Senate Democrats are ramping up negotiations with Republican Senate Leaders on an appropriations deal and a bipartisan group of House lawmakers are discussing a plan to extend the ACA subsidies.