Not that we needed to couch our prediction in impenetrable quatrains or anything but we did predict this – thus you can call us Nostradamus. Yes, the US Government is shut down, well sorta. Perhaps 25% of it isn’t getting paid at that Federal level at least. But half of those folks are being told to turn up to work anyway. And they’ll get their pay after it all reopens as back payments. That’s what usually happens.
And at the same time stuff that government does which really interests people still gets paid for. As we noted about food stamps or Snap:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Trumps’ Government Shutdown Won’t Affect SNAP – Food Stamps – The Fix Will Be In[/perfectpullquote]Something will be done. Presumably, Congress will just vote to pay for it:
“There’s a certain amount of muttering that the government shutdown – prompted by Trump’s insistence that he really, but just really, wants a great big wall – will start to affect the distribution of SNAP benefits, food stamps to you and me. This isn’t going to happen, the fix will be in long before that happens. No, I’m not insisting that the government shutdown will be solved by February although I fully expect it to be so. Rather, that those worrying abut babbies running out of stale crusts and government cheese are rather missing the way the system works. They simply don’t shut down those parts of government that will lead to rioting on the streets, sure, they may be politicians but they’re not that damn stupid.”
Which brings us to today’s news about those not damn stupid politicians:
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]WASHINGTON, DC – Ways & Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) released the following statement this evening after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 430, the TANF Extension Act of 2019, legislation that extends Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) for two quarters, through June 30, 2019:[/perfectpullquote] [perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“For many families with children across the country, TANF plays an important role in making ends meet each month. Without the program, Americans living in poverty would be unable to afford basic necessities like food, rent, diapers, and heat in the winter. TANF also helps parents and other family caregivers find jobs and build a better life for their loved ones. This evening, the House passed a bipartisan extension of this meaningful program, and the Senate should swiftly do the same. Extending TANF through June will give congressional negotiators an opportunity to reach a long-term deal to help provide America’s struggling children with brighter, more secure futures.”[/perfectpullquote]Agreed, that’s not actually Snap but it gives a flavour of what is and what isn’t going to get paid while this rumbles on. Park rangers are out of luck, so too TSA. Hungry babbies are in. On the grounds that this is the way the voters think so that’s what will be done.