It should be no surprise to me by now, just how convoluted our government system is.... The selfishness is always a shock though.. The lack of ability to come together is always a shock... The nonsense is always a shock..
Currently, the U.S. Government is facing a countdown clock.
If agreements are not reached by 12:01 a.m. EST. on October 1, the government will shutdown.
The possibility for a shutdown is upon us for a few reasons:
Folks can't agree on spending. In particular, a few bills are of focus: amendments and four spending bills that would fund Homeland Security, Agriculture, Defense and Agriculture and State-Foreign Operations.
It has already been mentioned how much of an impact this could have on the current Farm Bill, working its way through the process at the moment. If agreements are not met, this will cause a lapse in this bill and likely a negative outcome and scenario for those in agriculture in America..
The Farm Bill was created to provide additional support for our farmers, ranchers, cattlemen, etc. Items such as disaster relief aid, subsidiary benefits, USDA enhancements for aid, and nutritional programs are just some of the topics included.
Congress does have an opportunity to pass temporary extension to current legislation and policies, while further negotiations occur. This is not ideal though as it will halt progress on many of the bills mentioned above. & with an election year upon us in 2024, it would be more ideal to have these issues hammered out.
We are apparently more concerned about who is tweeting what... STILL... rather than focusing on what is best for American citizens...
"GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz and Speaker Kevin McCarthy got into a testy exchange during the meeting, according to a source in the room. Gaetz stood up and confronted McCarthy about whether his allies were paying conservative influencers to bash Gaetz in social media posts – an allegation circulating on social media and one the speaker’s office has denied." - CNN 9/28/23 https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/28/politics/shutdown-latest-government-funding/index.html
So what does this mean for Foods and the little progress we have seen this year??
WIC Funding (the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) would: stop immediately
Food stamp benefits through Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) would remain intact in October, but could/would be impacted following this time, depending on the length of the shutdown & agreement standards. SNAP currently has funds to last a few weeks, but would run out of funds at that point...
The Food and Drug Administration would halt and delay any and all nonessential food safety inspections.. (isn't this part of the reason we have been in a huge infant formula crisis for the last 19+ months??)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding would stop immediately, and therefore FEMA would have no money for disaster relief.. Let's hope there are no disasters during the shutdown! (current efforts and programs will continue, but may be impacted)
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would limit its work and oversight
Programs such as Head Start Preschool program will lose funding, causing children from low-income families to lose access to all benefits associated! (including meals and snacks for kids!)..
Likely hinderance in the launch of an expansion of the Federal School Meal Program. Additional interference is likely in the works of a new Summer Meal Program, set to launch in the summer of 2024.
"Recently, the USDA announced it will give an estimated 3,000 more school districts in high-need areas the option to serve free breakfast and lunch to all students. But implementing this new guidelines could be stymied if the Food and Nutrition Service staff that administers the National School Lunch Program is furloughed." -Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/09/27/food-stamps-wic-snap-government-shutdown/
Now, I'm not a politician. In fact, until the infant formula shortage & COVID-19, you would likely say my interest in politics was limited at best...
But can someone explain to me what benefit comes from a government shutdown? (genuine question.. comment below if you have a legit answer!)
It has been nearly 20 months since the Abbott & Similac infant formula recalls.. A few things have been exposed.. including the absolutely poor structure of the FDA, the extremely limited number of food safety inspections performed over the years (which we have seen tons of food recalls in response..), the extreme limitations WIC already has in place (especially when it comes to infant formula), and honestly.. just how disjointed our American food system truly is...
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't fearing this a bit..
JUST as the FDA has named a new Head Deputy and has started making some progress to revamp the foods system as a whole... then...
*BaM**** SHUTDOWN. ***bAm***
The closures, issues, and interferences that I mentioned above are simply the ones that would likely impact Food and Nutrition in one way or another across the nation. MANY other services, departments, programs, public spaces, and more will also be impacted during the shutdown. Some agencies will be closed. Some agencies will remain open, but operating with minimal/limited staffing. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Americans and Government Employees will be furloughed and left without pay during this time. Some additional agencies and services that will likely be impacted include:
Air Travel - TSA and Air Controllers (short-staffed, flight delays/cancellations)
Government Offices - expect a hold up when it comes to getting your Passport or changing your name legally. (likely closed depending on service)
Border Patrol and Immigration (furloughed/short-staffed)
Immigration Courts and other Federal and Civil Courts (likely Closed)
National Parks (Closed / Operating with very limited staffing)
National Monuments / Museums (Closed / Operating with very limited staffing)
Small Business Loans (The Small Business Administration will pause loan applications and reviews)
Military Recruitment
Contract Employment Work
While time is dwindling quickly, I will continue to pray for resolution. Pray for agreeance. Pray for clarity. Pray for humbleness. Pray for understanding. Pray for bipartisanship. I will PRAY.
And if these prayers remain unanswered for now.. please know that I am praying for every American. Every mother, father, grandparent, child. Every caregiver, teacher, healthcare hero, and government employee. Every single person who will be directly impacted by this. I know there will be MANY. & I am so sorry... We WILL get through this.
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