The government shutdown is stretching into its 31st day with no end in sight.
The Senate has adjourned until Monday, leaving millions of low-income Americans at risk of losing food benefits as SNAP funding runs out this weekend.
A federal judge in Boston is weighing a lawsuit from 25 states to force the Trump administration to release emergency funds, while major airlines are urging Congress to act after air traffic controllers missed their paychecks.
"Starting Saturday, more than one million Massachusetts residents and 42 million people nationwide will be at immediate risk of hunger because President Trump is freezing SNAP benefits. These are children, seniors, people with disabilities and veterans. They are your friends, family and neighbors,” said Governor Healey. “Massachusetts is a place where people step up when their neighbors are in need, and I want to make sure that people who need help know where to get it, and that those who want to help know what they can do. We are glad that we are able to advance this funding that we secured with the Legislature to help our food banks meet the needs of our communities during this challenging time, and we thank everyone who has already contributed. President Trump needs to release the billions of dollars in USDA funds that he is holding back and could use to continue SNAP.”
In Rhode Island, Governor Dan McKee says the Trump shutdown is hurting many residents.
“Trump’s fiscal policies are nothing more than a shell game that shifts staggering federal costs onto states that simply can’t absorb them,” said Governor Dan McKee. “My administration will use our limited state resources to try and protect the most vulnerable, but no state can back fill an entire federal program, and the President and Congressional Republicans now own the devastating consequences of these choices.”
A judges decision on SNAP benefits is expected at any time.
(Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Photo: Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images News / Getty Images