Dwindling Funds Strain Already-Stressed Native American Health System As Shutdown Continues
Native American tribes rely heavily on federal assistance for basic services such as health care, so the shutdown is hitting them harder than others. Tribal members say they can't get referrals for specialty care from the Indian Health Service if their conditions aren't life-threatening. Meanwhile, California food banks brace for influx of hungry people affected by shutdown.
The Associated Press:
Shutdown Puts Strain On Hundreds Of Native American Tribes
Fallout from the federal government shutdown is hurting Native Americans as dwindling funds hamper access to health care and other services. The pain is especially deep in tribal communities with high rates of poverty and unemployment, where one person often supports an extended family. The effects were being felt far and wide. (1/12)
Politico:
Billions In Food Stamp Payments To Come Early Because Of Shutdown
After raising alarm that the food-stamp program could run out of funding for February, the Trump administration announced this week that it had come up with a way to bankroll more than $4.8 billion in benefits next month — with just one catch: Benefits for the nearly 39 million people enrolled in the program must be paid out by Jan. 20, weeks earlier than usual. (Bottemiller Evich, 1/11)
The California Health Report:
Food Banks Brace Themselves For Influx Of Hungry People Amid Shutdown
As the partial government shutdown hurtles toward a fourth week, organizations that help California’s food insecure are scrambling to prepare for potential disruptions to the nation’s food stamp program. This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would work with states to keep the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funded through the end of February. That means CalFresh, California’s name for the food stamp program, is safe for now. But food banks across the state, and the food pantries they serve, remain on edge amid concerns the shutdown could last even longer. (Boyd-Barrett, 1/14)
The Washington Post:
Americans Blame Trump And GOP Much More Than Democrats For Shutdown, Post-ABC Poll Finds
By a wide margin, more Americans blame President Trump and Republicans in Congress than congressional Democrats for the now record-breaking government shutdown, and most reject the president’s assertion that there is an illegal-immigration crisis on the southern border, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. (Clement and Balz, 1/13)
NPR:
Child Care: 1 More Way Some Federal Workers Struggle During Shutdown
At 10 o'clock in the morning, Austin Lanham should be working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center routing satellite communication. But with the partial federal government shutdown, he's not working, deadlines are slipping, he's not getting paid and the preschool his two sons go to is shut down because it's on NASA's property. "Now I'm just a full-time stay at home dad," he says. That's the case with many federal child care centers in the Washington D.C. region and with some around the country. (Madden, 1/14)