(AURN News) – Nearly 67% of U.S. workers say they’re living paycheck to paycheck, and the timing couldn’t be worse as SNAP food aid for roughly 42 million people is on the chopping block for November while the shutdown grinds on.
The USDA told states it won’t tap a $5 billion contingency fund to bridge next month’s benefits, arguing the law limits that pot and that it’s too late to implement partial payments toward the $9 billion needed. States that front the cash shouldn’t expect reimbursement, the memo says.
Lawsuits from Democratic governors and attorneys general are being readied. On Capitol Hill, Republicans are split – some, like Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., along with their allies, are pushing a narrow bill to keep SNAP running during the shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., says the cleanest path is to reopen the government – full stop.
On the ground in the nation’s capital, food banks are bracing as federal workers line up for help after missed paychecks.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
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