KALAMAZOO, Mich. \u2014 The federal government shutdown is affecting Michigan, with lawmakers warning that no progression in Washington is starting to hit home.<\/p>\n
From delayed flights to uncertain food assistance, the effects are spreading across the state. Federal workers are going without pay, air traffic controllers are still on the job without paychecks, and funding for programs like SNAP and WIC soon to run out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot at stake for Michigan during this shutdown,\u201d said Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Michigan). \u201cToo many hardworking people aren\u2019t getting paid. Our families are struggling to make ends meet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Michigan) said the shutdown is already creating strain in transportation systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cDetroit is a hub, and we\u2019re going to start seeing slowdowns,\u201d Huizenga said. \u201cIt\u2019s safe because they\u2019re creating more space between all the flights, but it is not a good situation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both lawmakers agree the shutdown is hurting families statewide, from airports to food pantries. Stevens said healthcare costs could soon rise, warning that tax subsidies set to expire on Nov. 1 could make coverage unaffordable for many.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019re looking at is people\u2019s healthcare being priced out for the individual user,\u201d Stevens said. \u201cPeople are going to be priced out of healthcare, and that\u2019s not right.\u201d<\/p>\n
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has cautioned that states may need to delay or reduce food assistance benefits if Congress fails to reach a deal. Huizenga said that possibility underscores the urgency of reopening the government.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a real possibility. SNAP and WIC are being affected,\u201d Huizenga said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we have to get the government open again.\u201d<\/p>\n
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As frustration grows, Michigan\u2019s congressional delegation says they\u2019re hearing a clear message from voters, end the shutdown and protect essential services.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"KALAMAZOO, Mich. \u2014 The federal government shutdown is affecting Michigan, with lawmakers warning that no progression in Washington…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245111,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,253],"class_list":["post-245110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=245110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/245110\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=245110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=245110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=245110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}