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As the government shutdown stretches into its sixth week, the longest in U.S. history, citizens and lawmakers are concerned about the ongoing lapse of funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Air travel has also been impacted amid the shutdown, with air traffic being reduced in airports across the country due to a shortage of staff exacerbated by not being paid. In an interview with Kristen Welker on NBC News’ Meet the Press Sunday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, and Senator James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, expressed hope on Sunday that the shutdown would be resolved before Thanksgiving. Why It Matters With no deal reached as of yet, the consequences of the shutdown are growing—air travel disruptions threaten to upend holiday travel plans, federal employees continue to work without pay, and the legal status of SNAP benefits remain in limbo. Approximately 42 million Americans rely on monthly SNAP benefits, with advocates warning that any interruptions or reductions in payments could place significant financial strain on households that depend on the program. These cascading effects are intensifying pressure on lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to resolve the standoff, which began over health care subsidy disputes, and reopen the federal government. A Thanksgiving dinner is displayed on a table in Concord, New Hampshire, on October 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead, File) What To Know The government shutdown originated from a Republican-backed funding bill that omitted renewals for health care tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), resulting in a standoff with Democrats who refused to support a plan without those subsidies. Senate Republicans did not bring a key funding bill to a vote Friday as leaders said support was lacking for its passage. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, stated the Senate would remain in session until a breakthrough is reached. Both chambers must pass funding legislation for President Donald Trump to sign and officially end the closure. When asked by Welker on Sunday if a deal would be reached by Thanksgiving, Jeffries replied, “I hope so.” “We need to resolve this immediately,” he said. “Donald Trump needs to get off the golf course and get back to the negotiating table. He spent more time golfing over the last several weeks than he has talking to Democrats who represent half the country as part of an effort to find a bipartisan path forward. We also know that House Republicans have literally canceled votes for the last six weeks. They’ve been on vacation, and they have no plans to return next week. We’ll be in Washington as House Democrats ready, willing, and able to reopen the government to make life better for the American people and to address the health care crisis that has been devastating the country. Lankford, meanwhile, expressed the same sentiments on Sunday when asked by Welker if he thought things would be resolved by Thanksgiving, saying, “Oh, yes. I do. And it absolutely needs to. It needs to be open today if we can get it open.” “We put out a proposal literally 14 times to say, ‘Let’s open it today. Let’s keep negotiating,'” he explained. The senator said that Trump and Vice President JD Vance have agreed to talk about health care when the government is reopened. “President Trump came out within the first week and said, ‘If you want to talk about health care, we’ll talk about health care as soon as the government is open.’ Vice President Vance came forward, ‘We’ll talk about health care as soon as the government’s open. We’re not going to negotiate while the government’s shut down,’ which is the exact same position we’ve been in and Democrats were in before during the shutdown when Republicans closed down the government,” Lankford said. Government Shutdown Impacts The Trump administration attempted to restart SNAP payments at reduced levels, but a Rhode Island federal judge ordered a restoration of full benefits. Late Friday night, liberal Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in her role as circuit justice for the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals halted the use of a separate Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition account that would fund SNAP benefits while the appeals court considers the administration’s request to repeal the lower court’s order. The shutdown isn’t just impacting plates, it has also already disrupted travel throughout the country, as ongoing staffing shortages exacerbated by lack of pay for air traffic controllers have forced the Trump administration to reduce flights by up to 10 percent at over 40 major airports. With 1,500 flights were canceled and over 6,500 delayed on Saturday...
