Washington, D.C. — As the government shutdown continues toward the one-month mark, the impacts are being felt by an increasingly broad swath of the American public.
In addition to furloughed federal workers, this cruel, manufactured crisis has added immeasurable uncertainty to already stressed low-wage workers and families, disproportionately harming low-income families with children, Native and other communities of color, people with disabilities, and seniors.
A new Center for American Progress analysis looks at five of the ways that the Trump shutdown is especially harming low-income people and communities, including:
- Hundreds of thousands of federal workers, contractors, and support staff are not getting paid—even though many are working.
- Food assistance for millions of low-income children, seniors, and people with disabilities is in jeopardy.
- The security and affordability of homes is now further destabilized because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is shuttered.
- The risk of preventable deaths caused by reductions in local services and supports is increasing, especially in tribal and rural communities.
- Public safety is increasingly threatened due to cuts to programs that protect victims of sexual violence.
“By holding hostage the budget deal passed by Congress to re-open the government in pursuit of a wall, President Trump is causing serious harm to many people who are already struggling to make ends meet, especially low-income families, children, people with disabilities, and seniors,” said Donovan Hicks, research associate at the Center for American Progress. “The longer the shutdown persists, the more preventable harm will be done to American families and communities.”
For more information or to speak to an expert, contact Julia Cusick at [email protected] or 202-495-3682.