WASHINGTON (AP) – The crisis at the center of the government shutdown fight in Washington was coming to a head Saturday, as federal food assistance programs face delays and millions of Americans will see dramatic increases in health insurance premiums.
The impact on basic needs like food and health care underscored the impasse faced by households across the country. The Trump administration's plan to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was blocked by a federal judge on Saturday, but millions of people are still likely to be short on groceries due to delayed payments.
Federal workers' salaries were delayed for a month and air travel delays were widened, all adding to the strain on the country. The shutdown is already the second longest on record, entering its second month on Saturday.
“This is more than just a crisis,” said Pastor John Udo Okon, who runs the Word of Life Christian Fellowship International Food Pantry in the Bronx. Starting at 4 a.m. Saturday in New York City, hundreds more people than usual lined up to collect groceries. “You can feel the hopelessness and frustration that people are experiencing right now.”
But back in Washington, there was little urgency to resolve the government funding logjam. Lawmakers are away from the Capitol, and both parties are holding firm on their positions.
The House has not been in session for more than six weeks for legislative business, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S., closed the chamber over the weekend after bipartisan talks failed to make significant progress.
“I'm hopeful that the pressure will start to mount and the consequences of continuing the government shutdown will become real and expressed by everyone, and hopefully there will be renewed interest in finding a way forward,” Thune said.
The stalemate looks increasingly unsustainable as Republican President Donald Trump demands action and Democratic leaders warn that the uproar over rising health care costs will force Congress to act.
“This weekend, Americans are facing a health crisis that is unprecedented in modern times,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said this week.
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The Agriculture Department had planned to withhold $8 billion needed to pay for the food program starting Saturday until two federal judges order the government to pay up. Trump said he would provide funding but wanted more legal direction from the courts.
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On Saturday, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell of Rhode Island ordered that the government must tell the court by Monday how it will fund SNAP accounts. McConnell, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, said the Trump administration has until Monday to decide how to pay the full amount or, if it decides to put only $3 billion into an emergency fund, by Wednesday.
“There is no question that the government shutdown requires immediate use of the contingency funds authorized by Congress,” McConnell said in his order.
However, uncertainty remains as to whether the department will provide additional funding or only provide a portion of the monthly benefit. The SNAP program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and costs about $8 billion per month.
Benefits were already facing delays as many states take more than a week to load SNAP cards. Some governors and mayors have stepped in, using money that could be used for programs that feed about 42 million Americans.
“People are just nervous and scared,” said Jill Corbin, director of St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen and food pantry in Norwich, Conn. “There is no clear answer that we have at this time.”
As people lined up for hot meals and groceries early Saturday, the organization provided 10 additional volunteers to help newcomers navigate the process. About 400 families visited the food pantry on Wednesday, and 555 people received hot meals.
“It’s like everything is unraveling at the same time,” Corbin said.
“Trump and the Republican Party are illegally withholding SNAP benefits,” New York Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized Trump for spending Saturday at a golf course in Florida, saying on social media.
“Millions of children could go hungry,” he added.
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Democrats this week called for the government to fund SNAP, but Republicans responded by arguing that the program is in such dire straits because Democrats have repeatedly voted against short-term government funding bills.
“Thanks to Democrats voting against government funding 14 times, we are reaching a breaking point,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said at a news conference Friday.
President Trump entered the debate in person late Thursday, proposing that Senate Republicans, who control the Senate, end the government shutdown by eliminating the filibuster rule, which prevents most bills from being considered without the support of at least 60 senators. Democrats have been using the filibuster to block the funding bill in the Senate for weeks.
Republican leaders quickly rejected Trump's idea, and the president doubled down on his demands Saturday night.
“Don't be weak and stupid. Fight, fight, fight! Win, win, win!” Trump posted on social media, insisting he would lift the filibuster rule if Democrats regained the Senate majority. “We will immediately end the extortionate government shutdown, pass all of our agenda, and make life better for the American people so that these crazy Democratic politicians will never have another chance to destroy America!”
“Republicans, you're going to regret the day you didn't cancel the filibuster!!!” he added.
Medical subsidy expires
The annual enrollment period for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act also begins Saturday, significantly increasing the premiums people must pay. The enhanced tax credits that help most enrollees pay for health insurance premiums are set to expire next year.
Democrats are rallying to extend these loans and are refusing to vote on the government funding bill until Congress takes action.
“Millions of Americans in every state in this country are waking up to significantly higher premiums for the same health insurance they already have,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D.N.H.) said in a statement.
If Congress doesn't extend the credits, subsidized enrollees will face an average cost increase of about 114%, or more than $1,000 a year, according to a study by KFF, a health care research nonprofit.
Some Republicans in Congress are open to the idea of extending subsidies, but they also want to make major changes to health care reforms enacted under Democratic President Barack Obama. Thune has suggested Democrats vote on extending benefits, but the outcome is not guaranteed. And he's demanding that Democrats vote first to reopen the government.
So the country is waiting and watching for Congress to take action.
TJ McCune, whose family owns and operates farmers markets in Mesa and Apache Junction, Arizona, said 15 percent of his market customers use SNAP benefits. “I hope this doesn't become a long-term problem, because once these benefits are gone, the damage will start to occur,” he said.
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Haig reported from Norwich, Connecticut. Associated Press writers Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, Jack Billow in Phoenix and Kevin Freeking in Washington contributed to this report.