Shutdown Update: 4 Key Dates to Watch This Week

The nation enters week five of the federal shutdown on Wednesday. So far, the damage of the shutdown has been focused on federal workers and the military and localized to the Washington, D.C., area, where shuttered federal agencies are headquartered.

This week, look for the impacts to become sharper and broader, spreading to tens of millions of American households. So far, the Trump administration has employed creative strategies to reallocate funds to pay active-duty service members and for programs to feed poor pregnant women and children.

This week, not only may federal workers and military members miss their first full paychecks since the start of the shutdown, but the massive SNAP nutrition program will run out of funds, and 42 million households will lose their food stamp benefits.

We can only hope that the prospect of SNAP running out of funding will be enough to prompt the Left to join with conservatives in reopening the government. 

Here are four key dates this week to watch:

• Tuesday and Thursday: Many civilian employees across government agencies will miss their first full paychecks. Some already missed their first full paycheck last week.
• Friday: Military service members will miss their first paycheck. U.S. House staffers will also miss paychecks. 
• Saturday: SNAP food aid, Head Start programs, and WIC nutrition assistance all run out. 
• Weekend: Essential Air Service, which subsidizes airline service to small, largely rural communities, will run out of money.

These deadlines easily overshadow other big economic news of the week, such as the expected interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve midweek and President Trump’s Asia trip, where he is negotiating trade deals.

What Happens Next?

The House of Representatives is out of session. Meanwhile, another Senate vote to reopen the federal government might occur this week. This “clean” continuing resolution to fund SNAP, WIC, troop pay, all federal workers, and agencies is unlikely to pass, as both sides are dug in. Conservatives want liberal senators to show bipartisan support for the CR, as they have 13 times in the past, and have promised to negotiate on their priorities once the government is reopened.

In the meantime, the Trump administration has tapped different funds to temporarily keep programs, like WIC, afloat. It moved research and development funds to pay the more than 1.3 million active-duty troops. 

Last week, Timothy Mellon—a billionaire, financial backer, and friend of President Trump—gave $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops during the shutdown. This only amounts to about $100 per servicemember, but it sends a signal that their plight is not going unseen or unappreciated.

The administration has said it would not access a $5 billion SNAP contingency fund usually reserved for natural disasters. 

Senators are floating individual bills to fund SNAP, air traffic controllers, and the military.

However, this strategy is not likely to gain steam. As Rep. David Valadao (R-Calif.) explained, “Piecemeal funding is not the way this should be done. Senate Democrats need to vote to pass the clean CR and stop holding the American people hostage.”

The Left has admitted that these pain points are “leverage” for them to force conservatives away from the “clean” CR. Each time a pain point is addressed, it gives left-leaning lawmakers less reason to show bipartisanship and end their stalemate.

Bottom Line

All lawmakers are undoubtedly hearing from their constituents who will no longer be getting paid or are set to lose food assistance. 

Independent Women launched a comment drive for regular Americans to tell their senators how this shutdown is affecting them. 

As I wrote in the Washington Post, a growing proportion of Americans face serious hardships. It will only grow worse, and the damage will spread to more households, communities, and across the economy, the longer gridlock keeps Washington closed.