AUBURN, Ala. (WTVM) - Lawmakers not able to avert a Federal Government Shutdown and we’re learning more about the impact on you from local experts. When the clock ticked past midnight into Wednesday, some federal agencies stopped receiving money.
“These are the kinds of impacts that over the course of time will be felt by everybody,” said Joseph Aistrup.
The American government is in shutdown for the first time since 2018 also during a Trump Administration. The last government shutdown lasted for 35 days and many are hoping this one won’t last as long. Political Science Professor at Auburn University Joseph Aistrup says the American worker will feel the effects if it lasts longer than a week.
“Those who are being paid by the U.S. government who are continuing to have to work, they’re going to start feeling the pain. Because what will happen is that they will have to borrow in order to continue to live their day-to-day lives,” Aistrup said. “They will eventually be paid, though, because they are working, and so their pay has been just simply delayed until such time. But those individuals who have been furloughed, they’ll be having to make payments, having to live their life, and they will not have any payment coming in.”
District 80 Representative Chris Blackshear says most federal employees will not feel the impact unless the shutdown passes their next payday. Blackshear says a lot of critical infrastructure is going to be impacted like programs for veterans, seniors and low income families like snap benefits.
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“It’s one of those things I don’t think a lot of people really grasp at the local level what the true impacts are until all of a sudden something doesn’t show up,” Blackshear added. “And I hope that the Senate can get together at a table and pass something so we don’t see the long term effects of the government being shut down.”
Alabama Senator Katie Britt says two groups that could feel the loss of funding are Women, Infant and Children supplemental nutrition programs and HeadStart. The last government shutdown lasted just over one month.
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