Senate Republicans blocked Democrats' attempt to ram through funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that have run out due to the government shutdown, The Hill reported. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced a non-binding resolution forcing the Department of Agriculture to fund it, but Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) blocked the move and instead asked for the government to reopen.
Democrats have repeatedly refused to continue to fund the government as a shutdown drags on for more than a month. Meanwhile, SNAP benefits for hungry Americans ran out on Monday, causing panic on both sides.
The Democrats requested funding for the 42 million people who will go without benefits without the $8 billion required to keep the program afloat for the month of November. However, they believe that the overall shutdown is to their advantage and therefore have refused to address the core issue.
"This isn’t lawmaking. It’s a political stunt by the Democrats. The resolution they’re offering is empty," Barrasso charged. "It is meaningless. Democrats knew their actions threatened food assistance. They were fully aware of it,” he added, noting multiple times that Democrats have voted against the spending bill 13 times. “If Democrats really wanted to help struggling families, they’d stop blocking a clean continuing resolution."
As the Democrats wring their hands over SNAP, they simultaneously have shot down every attempt to resolve the shutdown. In fact, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has voted down a continuing resolution, which would fund the government through the end of the year, 14 separate times, Fox News reported.
This shutdown has been going on for so long that it's approaching the record of 35 days, which was set in 2019 during Trump's first administration. Meanwhile, Democrats have been holding out for entitlements, including increased healthcare spending for illegal immigrants.
Republicans refuse to sign on to this, and Democrats think this makes them look good in the eyes of the voting pubic. Schumer has indicated this by repeatedly blaming President Donald Trump and Republicans as healthcare costs increased for all Americans.
"The only plan Republicans have for healthcare seems to be to eliminate it, and then to tell working people to go figure it out on their own. That's not a healthcare plan. That's cruel," Schumer said.
Still, it seems Democrats might be ready to buckle sooner rather than later. As of Monday, several Senate Democrats convened a closed-door meeting to craft an exit strategy. This comes as Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) noted that Republicans offered Democrats a range of choices, including voting on their healthcare spending bills after the government reopens.
The issue is coming to a head, not only for the people who have gone without their government-funded groceries, but also for other industries and facets of American life. Because the Democrats are unwilling to budge, there's a chance that America's airways could be shut down and commercial travel grounded, the New York Post reported.
The problem is that the government shutdown has deprived 13,000 air traffic controllers of their pay, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, causing staffing shortages in half of their facilities. It's even worse in New York, where 80% of air traffic controllers have called in sick due to understaffing, which has caused burnout.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy addressed these concerns last week during a news conference with Vice President JD Vance. They warned of problems that could arise if the shutdown drags into the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel season, which is only weeks away.
"The House of Representatives has voted affirmatively to reopen the United States government. Fifty-two Republicans and three Democrats consistently vote to reopen the United States government. But we need 60 votes. We need to end the craziness," Vance said.
Democrats continue to play political games while real lives are impacted. The Republicans are concerned about getting the government reopened, but they won't give in to the Democrats' demands to do it, and that is admirable.
