America’s government is grinding to a halt, and the folks keeping our skies safe and our troops ready are caught in the crossfire.
As the U.S. government stumbles into its fifth week of a shutdown, the deadlock between Senate Democrats and Republicans over funding issues, particularly Obamacare subsidies, shows no sign of breaking, as Fox News reports.
This mess started weeks ago, and despite 12 failed attempts to pass a continuing resolution (CR) in the Senate, there’s still no deal to reopen the government. The latest House-passed plan, which would fund operations until Nov. 21, is up for a Senate vote this week, but don’t hold your breath. Both sides are dug in deeper than a tick on a hound.
While politicians bicker, real people are hurting—air traffic controllers are set to miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday, having only been partially paid earlier this month. Military service members face a similar gut punch with a payday on Oct. 31, and funds President Trump shifted earlier to cover troops’ wages won’t stretch to this cycle.
Then there’s the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, set to run dry by Nov. 1, just as Obamacare open enrollment kicks off. Talk about a perfect storm of bureaucratic failure.
Senate Democrats, under Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, are holding out for a rock-solid agreement on extending expiring Obamacare premium subsidies before they’ll budge. Meanwhile, Republicans insist on reopening the government first, then tackling healthcare. It’s a classic standoff, with federal workers and hungry families as collateral damage.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota summed up the gridlock with a shrug: “It's politics.” Well, Senator, that’s a fine observation, but it doesn’t pay the bills for the folks standing in food bank lines. When the people who keep our country running are left high and dry, “politics” feels like a cheap excuse for inaction.
Efforts to break the impasse have hit wall after wall. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chair Ted Cruz of Texas has a bill to address funding gaps, expected for a vote this week, though Thune hasn’t scheduled it yet. Meanwhile, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin saw his bill to pay troops and “excepted” federal workers—those toiling without pay—blocked by Democrats last week.
Not to be outdone, Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland tried pushing his own bill to pay federal employees and troops, only to get stonewalled. Now, Johnson and Van Hollen are hammering out a revised version together, but don’t bet on a quick fix. This is Washington, where compromise moves slower than molasses in January.
The American Federation of Government Employees, representing over 800,000 federal workers, is fed up and calling for an end to the nonsense. Their president, Everett Kelley, didn’t mince words: “Reopen the government immediately under a clean continuing resolution that allows continued debate on larger issues.” That’s a sensible plea, but in a town obsessed with scoring points, sense is in short supply.
Kelley went further, painting a stark picture of the human cost. “Because when the folks who serve this country are standing in line for food banks after missing a second paycheck because of this shutdown, they aren’t looking for partisan spin. They’re looking for the wages they earned,” he said.
He’s not wrong—the idea of our service members and federal employees being “cheated” out of pay is, as Kelley calls it, “a national disgrace.” If only the Senate could muster half the urgency these workers feel. Instead, we get finger-pointing while paychecks vanish.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t about some abstract policy debate; it’s about people who can’t afford groceries or rent because Washington can’t get its act together. Republicans argue for a clean CR to reopen the government first, which seems reasonable if the goal is to stop the bleeding. Democrats’ insistence on tying healthcare subsidies to the deal, while a valid concern, risks looking like a progressive agenda trumping immediate relief.
Both sides have their points, but neither seems willing to blink, and the clock is ticking louder for those on the front lines of this shutdown. Air traffic controllers, military personnel, and families on SNAP aren’t pawns in a political chess game—they’re Americans who deserve better.
So, as the Senate gears up for yet another vote, the question hangs heavy: will they prioritize the people over partisan posturing? If history is any guide, we might be in for more disappointment. But for the sake of those missing paychecks, let’s hope common sense sneaks through the Capitol doors.
