Congress pressured to hammer out funding deal as shutdown nears
- 4 million federal workers are at risk of losing paychecks
- Buttigieg warns of impact on air travel
- Vilsack: Shutdown causes "real consequences to real people"
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WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — If lawmakers on Capitol Hill cannot reach a deal to avoid a government shutdown by the end of the week, millions of federal workers across the country will stop getting paid.
President Joe Biden’s team has tried to go on the offensive, blaming House Republicans for not doing enough to prevent a shutdown.
The U.S. agriculture secretary said 7 million low-income women and children who receive nutritional food assistance could be impacted within days of a government shutdown.
A shutdown would also mean new loans for businesses would be stopped by the Small Business Administration.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could be forced to delay inspections of certain foods, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would be forced to limit workplace inspections.
In addition, national parks and most presidential libraries would close.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has also warned about the impact on flying, saying in a recent interview that a shutdown would include shutting down air traffic control training when it’s needed the most.
“A shutdown would include shutting down air traffic control training at the exact moment when the country recognizes the need for more, not less air traffic control staffing and when we have finally got cancellations back at or below normal rates,” Buttigieg said.
With so much at stake, Biden’s team hopes talking about these consequences could lead to a deal being made.
“There are real consequences to real people in a real way when there is a shutdown, especially one that ought not to happen and I’m hopeful that at the end of the day, it doesn’t happen,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
However, the debate over how to fund the government continues.
“We are traveling along a suboptimal path that leads to massive deficits and generational national debt. If we don’t change our path, we will collapse soon. No more CRs. No more short-term extensions,” Republican Rep. Andy Biggs posted to social media.
According to the White House team, SNAP benefits will continue as normal through October. Over 40 million Americans depend on the program for food assistance, but if a shutdown stretches on after October, the team says the program could be affected.
