The federal government entered a shutdown last week after Congress failed to pass a bill to keep the government funded before the deadline.
Federal benefits such as SNAP, ACA subsidies, and other federal programs that have already been impacted due to cuts in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act may experience further strain due to furloughs.
“What’s most alarming right now is that we’ve already seen cuts to those programs, and so, we just can’t afford any more cuts at all, or any more delay in those services and benefits,” Danielle Moore, Chief Operating Officer of Nourish Up, told WCNC. “SNAP is our nation’s front-line defense for hunger, and so we, as Nourish Up, we can’t compete. For every one person we feed, SNAP feeds nine.”
In the first few weeks, many federal employees will bear the brunt of Republicans’ failure to pass a funding bill.
In the past week, many non-essential government employees have been furloughed. Essential personnel, like active-duty military members and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents, have been required to continue working without payment. As the shutdown continues, many airports are seeing spikes in call-outs.
During previous shutdowns, Americans being forced to work without pay has led to a rise in worker absences, and some have left government service altogether.
Since last Wednesday, over 140,000 North Carolinians have not received paychecks. According to Enlace Latino NC, about 200 state employees were placed on unpaid leave immediately after the deadline, due to the suspension of federal funding.
Over 200 federally funded state employees were furloughed, according to the State Department of Human Resources.
“The decision to implement these suspensions was not taken lightly, and I deeply regret the hardship it will cause,” North Carolina Governor Josh Stein said in a press release. “I am displeased with this federal dysfunction, and my administration is committed to doing everything in our power to advocate for a prompt resolution.”
IndyWeek reports that the shutdown will deal a crushing blow to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has already faced steep staffing cuts. At least 90 percent of the remaining staff are expected to be furloughed, which will impact the EPA’s largest campus, Research Triangle Park.
“Eliminating the scientific backbone of the EPA would severely compromise the agency’s ability to make evidence-based decisions, putting communities across North Carolina — and the nation — at risk,” Elizabeth Biser, former secretary of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, told NC Health News. “When you add funding cuts to scientific research at academic institutions, the nation as a whole is losing critical resources to protect the public from toxic chemicals.”
In a press conference, Congresswoman Deborah Ross and North Carolinians condemned Republicans for choosing to shutdown the government instead of prioritizing the looming health care crisis.
“We are on day six of a government shutdown because Republicans in Washington would rather shut down the government than fix the health care crisis that they created. This crisis is all thanks to Republicans who have repeatedly voted to spike health care costs – from gutting Medicaid for hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, to putting rural hospitals at risk of closing, to increasing health care premiums,” said Congresswoman Deborah Ross.
Michael Whatley, who is running for the vacant U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina, was also criticized for supporting the shutdown along with his Republican counterparts.
“If DC insider Michael Whatley were in the U.S. Senate, he would be an automatic vote for raising health care costs. He has sided with Washington Republicans, cheering on this crisis and opposing the bill that would open government and lower health care premiums,” Ross added.
Lea Charlton, an ACA tax credit beneficiary, called out Republicans for letting the tax credit expire, stating, “ I’ll have to pay nearly a thousand dollars every month for care. And they are so hellbent on letting those credits expire that they shut down the government over it.”
