Forty-two days after it began, Congress is one step closer to ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, but a lot of questions remain on when SNAP benefits and flights at the nation's busiest airports will get back to normal.
Forty-two days after it began, Congress is one step closer to ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, but a lot of questions remain on when SNAP benefits and flights at the nation's busiest airports will get back to normal.
The Senate has passed a funding bill to get the government up and running again, and the House could vote as early as Wednesday to end the impasse.But Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday called out U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, the state's senior senator, for his vote the governor said undercuts Obamacare.'I disagree with his vote,' Pritzker said.The governor criticized Durbin and seven other Senate Democrats who voted with Republicans for a funding bill that would re-open the government, but excludes what Democrats fought hardest for: an extension of healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.'We had an opportunity to make sure that we were protecting people's health care across the nation, but for whatever reason, those members decided to vote the way that they did. I'm disappointed. I think that more could have been done here,' Pritzker said.Durbin faced more criticism from fellow Illinois Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who said she 'couldn't be more disappointed with my colleagues who voted to reopen government.''I just think that we were in a place where we could have extracted more than what we got. All we got was a vague promise of a potential future vote' on healthcare subsidies, Duckworth added.The compromise package approved by the Senate funds the government through Jan. 30, and extends funding for SNAP food assistance benefits for a full year, But questions remain on how soon Illinoisans who rely on food stamps will get their full benefits again, after receiving only partial payments in November.'To restore it, we're going to do it as absolutely fast as possible, but I can't tell you how many days,' Pritzker said. 'We are working expeditiously to get it done.'It will also take several days for aviation to get back on track once the government formally restarts, after the FAA mandated flight reductions at the nation's 40 busiest airports starting late last week.Speaker Mike Johnson has told members of the House to return to Capitol Hill on Wednesday to take up the deal approved by the Senate.'We have to do this as quickly as possible,' he said.Republicans have only a two-seat majority in the House, leaving very little room for dissent within their own party to get the funding deal through if no Democrats vote to support it.
Government Shutdown Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
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