Food assistance, health care costs, air travel, and military pay all face major strain if the shutdown extends beyond this week.

The pain of a U.S. government shutdown is poised to intensify this week as the funding lapse nears a full month with no resolution in sight.

A series of deadlines in the coming days could have negative consequences for ordinary Americans, cutting off food assistance for low-income Americans, raising health insurance premiums for millions on Obamacare and depriving air-traffic controllers, TSA agents and other federal workers of paychecks.

SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, are slated to dry up on Nov. 1 without congressional action, impacting an estimated 40 million low-income Americans across red and blue states.

  • its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    I work at a food pantry, we are open one day a week. Pre Trump the average was 25 families, our typical now is 36. Yesterday there were 55 famlies, 150 people total. I don’t know what we are going to do next week if the snap benefits lapse. We can’t handle that many people regularly.

    • Verdant Banana@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      last food bank visited had out of date food, not diet dependent such as a senior that has to watch sugar levels, as you mentioned very restrictive schedules, etcetera

      been an adhesive bandage for centuries along with faith-based assistance and past time we remedy the issues causing any hunger

      • its_prolly_fine@sh.itjust.works
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        1 day ago

        Agreed that the reason people are hungry needs to be addressed. However, it’s far better than nothing faith based or otherwise.

        I won’t get started on a bank vs. a pantry, but they are different. What a pantry offers and when they are open varies drastically between pantries. Out of date food does not necessarily mean that it isn’t safe to eat. The FDA has a table of food types and when to throw it away. Canned and dried foods are typically good well past the expiration date.