Shutdown Til Monday?
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. The federal government shutdown is now UNlikely to end before Monday, with more Senate votes planned this afternoon.
In the meantime, the damage is starting to mount up …
JOHNSON … “The longer this goes on, the more pain will be inflicted, because it is inevitable when the government shuts down.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson says the pain’s already being felt after three failed votes on dueling stopgap funding bills, with one more round just ahead …
JOHNSON … “Vital services, veterans services, health care, and nutrition for women, infants, and children.”
USDA, which runs the WIC program, has furloughed some 42,000 staff, or nearly half of its workforce. USTR planned to sideline 40% of its trade staff.
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley earlier this week …
GRASSLEY … “Trade negotiations might be stalled, and getting an agreement with China would be slowed down.”
Senators were talking informally about a way out of their feud over short-term funding and healthcare subsidies, but Johnson insisted the government would have to reopen first via the stopgap bill.
Democrats insist they won’t give in on healthcare and had the votes to continue to block funding to reopen the government.
But Senate Majority Leader John Thune argued, they’d have to …
THUNE … “There’s no way out, folks. There’s no way out.”
Again, Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
