Dear Eastsiders, We are approaching the fifth week of the Republican shutdown of the federal government in Washington D.C. Republicans control the Presidency and both houses of Congress, and their failure to pass a budget bill with total control is a sign of how far they are willing to let our country slide just to stay blindly loyal to Donald Trump rather than keep the government operating. Although state legislators have no control over federal budget decisions, I’m working with state agencies to track the impact on Minnesotans, particularly the thousands of federal employees who no longer have paychecks. U.S. Rep. McCollum has information for impacted constituents here. Minnesota is home to 20,000 federal workers and all of us rely on some federal service in our day-to-day lives. It’s shameful that Donald Trump is directly threatening their livelihoods, along with critical public services, to create chaos and fund tax giveaways for billionaires. By choosing to end valuable premium tax credits, Trump and his Republican allies are causing crushing insurance premium increases for thousands of individuals, families and small businesses across the state. Some Minnesotans are facing premium spikes as high as 50%. Amid rising prices for health premiums, electricity, groceries, and gasoline, to add insult to injury, thousands of Minnesotans and their families are at risk of losing food security in the coming weeks, just as we approach the holiday season. More than 440,000 Minnesotans rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to put food on the table. If the federal shutdown continues into November, funding will run out for these critical food benefits. For many families, their situations could go from extremely challenging to downright dire. This potential pause in benefits is on top of the new paperwork requirements for SNAP recipients while previous exemptions for veterans, people experiencing homelessness, and youth aging out of foster care have been eliminated. These burdensome requirements will serve as a barrier to Minnesotans getting the food they need. One in nine Minnesotans-that’s nearly 500,000 Minnesotans don’t know where their next meal is coming from. While we’ve made progress to get more support for food shelves and ensure all kids have a hot meal at school, we know more Minnesotans are facing hunger, especially for the most vulnerable in our community. If you or someone you know needs help with food this fall, Hunger Solutions has a list of statewide food shelves and additional resources here. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families has resources also in Somali, Spanish, Hmong. If you’re able to, please consider making a contribution to a local food shelf. They’re already struggling to meet the demand, and the longer the uncertainty around SNAP continues, the more pressure they will face. While working families struggle with high prices in their everyday lives, it’s unconscionable that Donald Trump and his Republican allies are holding funding for the government – and critical lifelines like affordable health care and SNAP – hostage so they can enrich the very wealthiest among us with more needless tax cuts. As I write this, two federal judges have ordered the Trump Administration to continue paying for food assistance during the government shutdown. We'll have to wait and see how the administration chooses to act. Keep in Touch |