Shutdown #361
By Hank Silverberg
Commentary
The government shutdown is now into its second month, and we are beginning to see the impact on average people. But Congress really isn't paying attention. You have heard all the debate, why Democrats are holding out on any Continuing Resolution to re-open the government and why Republicans won't change the one that Democrats have voted against more than a dozen times.
But lost in all this is the impact on you and me.
With TSA and Air Traffic Controllers working without pay, flying has become difficult. Planes are delayed, some airports have stopped flights briefly at times because of staffing shortages, passengers whether for pleasure or business, are feeling the inconvenience.
Food pantries across the country are dealing with a big increase in patrons as furloughed federal workers and federal contractors seek food assistance, many of whom have never done so before.
Seniors trying to get any information about their Social Security account face long waits on the phone if they get through at all. And all this happened before the SNAP benefits ran out this week.
Many people have been looking for a scapegoat in all this. Why is this happening? Many who lean right have found their usual target --illegal immigrants. But that is simply not the case.
Look at SNAP as one example.
There are 42 million Americans on food assistance. Illegal immigrants are NOT eligible. (And despite GOP claims, they don't receive benefits from SNAP.)
Of those 42 million Americans who get SNAP, 55% work, but in low paying jobs that won't pay all the bills. The food stamps help especially, since 39% getting the assistance are CHILDREN.
About 4.8 million of those on SNAP are the elderly.
Then there is the allegation that SNAP is riddled with fraud. But after intense scrutiny in recent years, the fraud rate was only 3%.
The Affordable Care Act, still called "Obamacare" by some, provides health insurance at reasonable, but still high rates, for about 24 million people.
These are people who are too young for Medicare and not eligible for Medicaid and don't get medical insurance from their work. The amount private health insurers are charging the ACA in 2026 will be going up by 26%. Enhanced premiums expire at the end of this year. If Congress doesn't extend the federal subsides, the premiums could go up as much as 114% for some enrollees, an increase millions of people will not be able to pay. (Estimates range as low as 3 million, but it could be substantially higher.)
In the interest of transparency, I myself used the ACA for two years a decade ago, after losing a job and the health insurance that went with it. I could not afford health care without the ACA during that period, even though I worked through most of it.
These are FACTS, something which appears to be elusive in the debate over the government shutdown.
The GOP has been fighting the ACA since it was approved 15 years ago, but they have NEVER come up with any alternative.
The only way out of the government shutdown is a compromise. Neither side wants to budge.
The American public pays the price for this intransience. It may take ground stops at a lot more airports, bread lines at food pantries, or people dying in the streets because they can't get health care before the current Congress does anything. THAT could put an additional stain on a government that can't seem to get its act together. And it's the top of that government, the man in the White House and those who surround him, who are to blame.
News You May Have Missed
Recession?
Did you see the admission from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that some sections of the economy are now in a recession or at risk for one? He blames the Federal Reserve for not cutting interest rates fast enough. Appearing on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Bessent mentioned the housing market as one area not doing well, but then he turned around and blamed the rise in inflation on government spending after the COVID-19 pandemic, spending that ceased more than a year ago.
There was no mention of tariffs, which are a big part of the current inflation. With the government shutdown, key economic data is not being collected, so it could be weeks before we have any official information on how the economy is actually doing.
Bessent did not say what other parts of the economy are facing recession besides housing. Interest rates have been a big focus for President Trump, who blames much of the economic downturn on them.
Trump Approval Rating Down!
A year before the all-important mid-term elections, a new poll indicates President Trump's approval rating is tumbling.
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The same poll found Trump's disapproval rate now at 59%, the highest since January 2021, the week after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The same poll also found that 56% did NOT approve of the demolition of the East Wing of the White House which was done to build a 90,000 square-foot ballroom that could entertain about a thousand people.
The survey talked to 2,725 adults between October 24-28, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9%.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumbest quote comes from Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who has appeared in this portion of my blog before. Speaking to a group called the "Republican Jewish Coalition" in Las Vegas this past week, Cruz urged Republicans to draw a red line and confront antisemitism head- on. Okay, that was good. But then he said this:
“In the last six months, I have seen antisemitism rising on the right in a way I have never seen in my entire life. We must confront it."
Where have you been, Senator Cruz? The right wing, and the Republican party has been a breeding ground for anti-Semites for decades. Donald Trump has given some of them legitimacy and has done little to "confront" them. The right has produced much of the antisemitism in last few decades with no attempt by Republicans to confront it. It's been so prevalent that many Republicans holding office got there because they either ignored antisemitism to win votes, or secretly endorse the concept.
Much has been made of the growing antisemitism on the left, sparked mostly by the war in Gaza, but that is miniscule compared to historical attacks on Jews within the right wing.
To me, in 2025, "Jewish Republican" is an oxymoron.
(Tease for next week. Watch for my review of the elections here in Virginia and elsewhere, and what they might mean for the future.)
( You suggestions and comments are welcome)
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