The ongoing government shutdown is forcing the closure of Head Start centers across the country, including in Wisconsin, impacting thousands of low-income families who rely on the program for early childhood development, health services, and childcare, potentially disrupting parents' ability to work.
With the Senate out of town, the government shutdown is almost certain to extend through at least Monday, as millions of Americans begin to feel its effects. Among them are those who rely on Head Start , a free early childhood development program for low-income families.
The Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program is shuttering nine Head Start centers in early November because of the shutdown. A program in Richland Center, Wisconsin, is closing its doors Friday. Stephanie Wallace, who has taught at the center for 13 years and has now been temporarily laid off, said goodbye to her students this week. 'Some of the kids already knew,' she said. 'We told them, you know, we're not going to see you for a little bit.'According to the National Head Start Association, approximately 140 Head Start programs nationwide, serving roughly 65,000 children, will stop receiving federal funding beginning Nov. 1. In addition to educational support, Head Start also provides screenings, health and dental care and nutrition for children from low-income families.Tawny Hardyman, the director of Southwest CAP Head Start, told CBS News, 'I think families are going to feel like the rug is being yanked out from underneath them.'Jennie Mauer, the executive director of the Wisconsin Head Start Association, ran through the broader implications of the government funding pause. 'In Wisconsin, we know that the majority of our Head Start Families are working in our communities, and when parents don't have safe child care, they struggle to get to work,' Mauer said, adding, 'These Head Start programs are cornerstones of their local communities — helping folks get to work, employing people and spending money with local trades.'Roughly 75% of the families at the Richland Center facility also rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP or food stamps. Community organizers say losing child care and food assistance at the same time could compound the challenges faced by low-income families during the government shutdown. SNAP benefits are set to expire Saturday, although half the states and the District of Columbia sued the Trump administration this week to stop its suspension.'Hunger in our community will go up 100%,' said Chris Frakes, the senior director of the Southwest Wisconsin Community Action Program. 'So, we're doing what we can to make sure that we don't have kids who aren't eating for days on end.'Senators have taken over a dozen failed votes on funding the government, but left Washington, D.C., for the weekend. This essentially guarantees the 2025 shutdown will last at least 34 days, tying the record for the longest shutdown ever. Republicans and Democrats are blaming each other for the impasse.Asked by CBS News whether the Senate should be leaving town now, with SNAP benefits expiring, GOP Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa replied, 'Well, we would love the Democrats to open the government.'President Trump has an idea for ending the standoff, telling Senate Republicans in a social media post Thursday to 'play their TRUMP CARD' and go 'nuclear' — that is, to 'get rid of the Filibuster.'The Senate requires only a simple majority to pass most legislation, but its filibuster rule effectively requires nearly all legislation — including the continuing resolution to temporarily fund the government — to reach a 60-vote threshold first. A single senator may delay a bill during debate by invoking a filibuster, which can only be ended if 60 senators vote to end debate. Eliminating the filibuster rule would only require a simple majority, and it would enable Republicans to approve the House-passed continuing resolution without Democrats and reopen the government. But most GOP senators have long been opposed to doing away with the 60-vote threshold, arguing that it encourages bipartisan compromise.Democrats have their eyes on yet another key deadline this weekend: Open enrollment begins for the Affordable Care Act, and it could show soaring health insurance premiums for the 24 million Americans who buy their health insurance through the program. Democrats are betting that sticker shock will bring Republicans back to negotiations to extend expiring tax credits that offset the insurance costs. So far, Republicans have said Democrats must vote to open the government first.
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