WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden, alongside a top aide, issued a stark warning on Monday regarding the potential repercussions of a federal government shutdown, highlighting the immense suffering it could inflict, especially affecting nearly 7 million low-income women and children reliant on food benefits.
Speaking at a gathering focused on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, President Biden emphasized the severe impact a government shutdown could have on the Black community. He cited potential reductions in nutritional benefits, inspections of hazardous waste sites, and the enforcement of fair housing laws as some of the adverse consequences.
President Biden recalled a prior agreement with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy regarding government spending levels. He expressed frustration, stating, “Now a small group of extreme House Republicans … don’t want to live up to that deal, and everyone in America could be faced with paying the price for it.”
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, speaking to reporters earlier, outlined the immediate consequences of a shutdown on the “vast majority” of participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. He underscored that nearly half of US newborns depend on WIC support.
Biden, US officials warn of hunger for millions in a government shutdown: US President Joe Biden and one of his top aides warned on Monday that a federal government shutdown could cause widespread suffering, including a rapid loss of food benefits for… https://t.co/TPB75vDkYa
— SA Breaking News (@SABreakingNews) September 26, 2023
Additionally, Vilsack mentioned that while the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would continue normally for October, it could face disruption in the subsequent months. SNAP provided assistance to over 40 million Americans in 2022, and rising inflation has added pressure to household budgets.
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In the event of a shutdown, farm service agencies would halt loans to farmers during harvest, and rural areas would see a suspension of new homebuyer loans. Over 50,000 Department of Agriculture workers would be furloughed, impacting their livelihoods.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is considering substantial spending cuts that are likely to be rejected by the Democratic-controlled Senate. While these cuts may not become law, a failure to reach an agreement between both chambers could result in a partial government shutdown by the upcoming Sunday.
Furthermore, House lawmakers are set to deliberate on spending bills for the next fiscal year, some of which include provisions imposing new restrictions on abortion access, reversing an $11 billion climate initiative by the Biden administration, and resuming construction of the Mexico-US border wall, an initiative associated with former President Donald Trump. President Biden has expressed his intention to veto at least two of these bills. Secretary Vilsack characterized Republican fiscal plans as “punitive” and “petty.”
