Meh. Probably not. But after more than four weeks of “shutdown,” perhaps some fatigue is creeping in. From Politico,
Capitol agenda: Thune says shutdown talks are picking up:
Some Republicans appear increasingly convinced that enough centrist Democrats are getting ready to fold — potentially by early next week.
Maybe. Maybe not. The idea is to convince another half-dozen or so Senate Democrats to flip to reach 60 votes to re-open government.
Politico speculates,
Nearly one month into the government shutdown, the vibes might finally be shifting.
After four weeks, the event that seems to be making a difference is the prospect that 42 million food stamp (SNAP) recipients may have to go without. Those 42 million represent a large portion of the Democratic Party voting base.
From The Hill newspaper,
Democrats wobble as pressure to end shutdown ramps up
Which Democrats?
Senate Democrats are taking a close look at a Republican proposal to pay all federal employees — including essential and furloughed workers — as they’re under new pressure from the nation’s largest federal workers union to pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government.
That proposal appears to be the same one I mentioned earlier, that would keep the government shutdown but continue to pay federal workers not to work.
Meanwhile, The Hill asks,
SNAP benefits won’t be paid in November: How long will WIC last?
“WIC” stands for Women, Infants, and Children, presumably a more sympathetic pool of welfare beneficiaries than the general food stamp population.
In October, Trump tapped some tariff revenue to keep the WIC money flowing. It’s not clear how long that can last.
The USDA reports that as of 2024, there were 6.7 million WIC recipients, down from a peak of over 8 million a decade ago.
Still, that represents 41 percent of all infants in the United States.
How did we get to this point?
