Copyright newrepublic
Yet even if the administration complies with the court order to distribute the emergency funds, that won’t be enough, and the shutdown could continue for weeks or months—all while food costs continue to rise. “We’re going to be in a crisis,” Leak said. “Poor people are, right now, collateral damage.” And with layoffs, especially from government jobs, more people are experiencing insecurity. “We are not fully understanding the multiple ways in which I think we’re going to see a whole ‘nother brand of poverty,” Leak said. “There’s a whole new category of people who probably never experienced food insecurity before, who are experiencing it for the first time.” De Doyle’s father is a veteran, a senior citizen who values his independence, the kind of guy who sneaks a jar of peanut butter to a neighbor when he suspects they don’t have enough. But he himself lives on a fixed income, relying on Social Security, food stamps, and—though she would never, ever tell him this—the occasional help from Doyle. She manages his finances completely, ordering him groceries every two weeks through delivery, because she lives in Pennsylvania and he lives in Florida. Sometimes, when the bill is too high, she covers some of it. He doesn’t get much through SNAP, and that amount just dropped in October, from $67 to $46 each month. Even so, every little bit helps, Doyle said. She feels lucky that she is able to step into the gap while food assistance is in turmoil. But she can’t do it for very long, and she’s also worried about her son, who is active-duty military, not getting paid during the government shutdown. Doyle’s health care premiums just went up, so even though she got a raise at work, she is bringing home less money now.
