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A North Texas union, the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1040, is among the nationwide organizations calling on Congress to immediately approve a clean continuing resolution — a bill to fund the government and reopen it. The Republican House majority passed a clean CR in September, without much new spending or programs. However, in the Senate, 60 votes are needed to pass this bill. Republicans in the upper chamber need eight Democrats to join them to reopen the Government and so far, there haven't been enough Democrats to vote for the CR. Democrats have called for Republicans to agree to extend tax subsidies on the Affordable Care Act to keep health insurance premiums from rising. Republicans have said they would only negotiate after Democrats vote to reopen the government. We spoke with Johnny Jones, a Transportation Security Administration officer and president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1040, who said the federal employees' paychecks are being held hostage. "We don't want a rain check; we need a paycheck like today, not tomorrow. We just want to see the politicians do their job," Jones said. "We all took the oath to protect and uphold the Constitution of the United States. If the government shutdown continues into Wednesday, it will become the longest shutdown in history. "They did as well," Jones said. "We just ask that they do their job so we can do ours." Watch Jack Fink's interview with Johnny Jones, a Transportation Security Administration officer and president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1040, here: SNAP food assistance programs run out of funding On Friday, two federal judges ruled that the Trump administration must continue funding the SNAP food assistance program that was set to run out on Nov. 1. The government said it doesn't have $8 billion to fund the program this month. Democratic governors and state attorneys general sued the administration, claiming they could tap into a contingency fund to keep the funding flowing. At the Good Samaritans of Garland food pantry, Linda Mitchell, a 73-year-old who survived a heart attack and cancer, said she relies on the SNAP benefits. She said she shouldn't have to go hungry because of the ongoing government shutdown. "Honestly, I do not understand how this could happen. It's just wrong," Mitchell said. "It's not right. It's not fair. It's not fair to the human beings." Mitchell wasn't alone. Shantell Freeman, a mother of two children with disabilities, also loaded her car with groceries from the Good Samaritan. "This is our lifeline. It scares me, and it's like, where is my next meal going to come from?" Freeman said. " How am I going to provide for my kids? How am I going to provide for my family?" Managers at Good Samaritans of Garland said they help about 5,000 families each month and are seeing 500 to 600 new families joining every month. They said the need started to grow in 2022 after COVID. They describe the situation as a silent pandemic of food insecurity. "We're 35% children in need now. These are families that are in dual-income homes." Sara Kenefake, executive director of Good Samaritans of Garland, said. "We see generational homes doing everything they can and they need help." The Good Samaritan allows people to visit twice a month to get a carton of food, which contains meat, milk, fresh produce and canned goods – much of it supplied by the North Texas Food Bank. "Our 12-county food service area has about 460,000 people who are on SNAP. If those people don't get their SNAP benefits, they're going to go to one of our 500 partner agencies to get assistance," said Clarissa Clarke, government relations officer of the North Texas Food Bank. Mitchell said she is relieved the Good Samaritans of Garland is there to help. "It makes me feel really, really good because it is truly a Godsend," Mitchell said. They have a message for Congress and the president. "They need to sit down and come to an agreement because they're hurting their communities," Freeman said. "Quit playing games. Do your job," said Mitchell.
