The central fight in the U.S. federal government shutdown has been over healthcare costs, with Democrats demanding that Republicans agree to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act set to expire this Saturday. Without an extension of those subsidies, health premiums could more than double for millions of people across the country. The enhanced subsidies were first put in place during the…
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The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website features a new header message that informs users of the current shutdown and blames Democrats, immigrants and transgender people for prolonging the stalemate on funding the federal government — specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps. Several other government websites…
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Rapid City, S.D. — For many tribes, access to food is a treaty right, meaning the potential loss of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Nov. 1 is yet another violation of trust and treaty obligations during the second-longest government shutdown in history. But Indigenous advocates in cities across the country are taking steps to ensure there are ways for affected…
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As the current government shutdown enters its fourth week with no end in sight — making it the second-longest U.S. shutdown in history — two new polls suggest that most Americans are faulting Republicans for the standoff, with a plurality saying they support Democrats in Congress demanding negotiations on health care. President Donald Trump has thus far refused to discuss a possible solution…
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Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) has formally filed a lawsuit against the House of Representatives over Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-Louisiana) refusal to seat Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Arizona). Grijalva won a special election exactly one month ago. Yet she has not yet been granted access to her seat or offices in Washington, with Johnson arguing that she shouldn’t be sworn in…
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More than 42 million low-income Americans are at risk of losing food assistance Nov. 1 if the government shutdown continues. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which operates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, has about $6 billion in a multi-year contingency fund. That’s short of the roughly $9 billion needed to cover a full month of the program. Even if a shutdown…
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