The United States government has been shut down for 28 days, and it is now the second-longest government shutdown the nation has experienced.
A government shutdown, which is enacted when the proper funding cannot be passed by Congress, results in a cutoff of practically all government funding. From Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport employees to federal police officers, around 700,000 federal employees are working without currently receiving pay (Bipartisan Policy Center). Although this pay will eventually be recouped when the government is reopened, these federal workers are not sure when they will receive pay again through the entirety of the shutdown. Additionally, the shutdown is affecting federal programs that directly impact Americans.
A key example of this effect can be seen in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food stamps—monthly federal funding to impoverished Americans to supply groceries—to about 12% of Americans (42 million people). As of Nov. 1, SNAP benefits will no longer be available to the millions of people that it helps, and many will go hungry as money for groceries disappears.
In 2023, around 79% of households receiving SNAP credits were home to a child, elderly person, or someone with a disability. Additionally, around 39% of SNAP funding recipients are children (USDA Food and Nutrition Service). SNAP is not a federal program for everyone; it directly helps those who need it and those whose household income is at or below the poverty line.
With high inflation rates, combined with no significant annual pay increases for many Americans, millions are struggling, especially in recent years. The Americans who will suffer the most from the interruption of this program are the ones who are also struggling the most.
The government shutdown has been made into a “blame game,” with both of the major United States political parties looking for ways to place the issue on their opponents, with their own interests in mind. However, this catastrophic effect of the government shutdown on the SNAP program is receiving bipartisan agreement and attention.
Republican Missouri senator Josh Hawley wrote for the New York Times that the SNAP shutdown directly contrasts with U.S. ideals, significantly harming millions, and that something must be done. Arguing for a bill to allow SNAP funding to continue, and the end of the government shutdown, Hawley provides a clear stance opposing the indefinite end of SNAP funding until the government shutdown has ended.
Specifically in Michigan, around 13% of Michigan households—about 1.4 million people—currently rely on SNAP (MLive). Therefore, Michigan Democratic representatives such as Tonya Myers Phillips have supported and introduced a $900 million plan to allow the SNAP benefits to temporarily continue until the shutdown is, hopefully, ended.
This is not a national issue affecting small groups of people. The closure of the SNAP program will directly affect Michiganders and large numbers of Americans. This issue is no longer a bipartisan debate over government spending: it is a very direct problem that, if not addressed, will harm people across the country.
The government shutdown needs to end. The SNAP program should continue. Many of the people in the United States rely on the food stamps that SNAP provides, and with inflation affecting grocery prices, SNAP is more crucial than ever. The time to act is now, before the Nov. 1 SNAP deadline is reached.
