Government Shutdown Threatens Head Start Programs, Impacting Thousands of Children

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Government Shutdown Threatens Head Start Programs, Impacting Thousands of Children
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Due to the ongoing government shutdown, 140 Head Start programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico, serving 65,000 children, will lose federal funding on November 1st, potentially leading to immediate closures. This situation jeopardizes education, child care, and essential services for vulnerable preschoolers, affecting both children and their families.

Head Start programs serving 65,000 children will stop receiving federal funding on Nov. 1 because of the government shutdown , leaving some of them in danger of closing immediately. Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Association, said 140 Head Start programs across 41 states and Puerto Rico will lose funding starting Saturday.

Head Start provides education, child care, meals, health screenings and more for the nation’s neediest preschoolers.With new grants on hold, a half-dozen Head Start programs have already missed federal disbursements they were expecting Oct. 1 but have stayed open with fast-dwindling reserves or with help from local governments. The Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program said it has to close nine Head Start centers in early November because of the shutdown, while another Head Start in Wisconsin closed Friday, CBS News reports. RELATED: Trump administration to limit student loan forgiveness for some borrowers working in public service"Not all of those agencies will be closing immediately, as they're doing everything they can to keep their doors open, but some will be forced to close," Sheridan told FOX TV Stations. If Head Start centers are forced to close their doors, children are left without care, teachers aren’t getting paid, and parents may have to miss work or school. The shutdown reached Day 31 Friday, as Trump pushed Senate Republicans to get rid of the rule that requires 60 votes to overcome objections and gives the minority Democrats a check on GOP power. He posted on social media late Thursday that the Senate should "Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!"RELATED: Trump must replenish SNAP food aid benefits, judges rule: What we knowBut Senate Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly said he is not considering changing the rules even as he seeks to end the shutdown, arguing that the filibuster is vital to the institution of the Senate and has allowed them to halt Democratic policies when they are in the minority.House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also defended the filibuster Friday, while conceding "it’s not my call."Trump's demand comes as he has declined to engage with Democratic leaders on ways to end the shutdown, on track to becoming the longest in history.While quiet talks are underway, particularly among bipartisan senators, Trump has not been seriously involved. Democrats refuse to vote to reopen the government until Republicans negotiate an extension to the health care subsidies. The Republicans say they won't negotiate until the government is reopened.

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