On Wednesday, this government shutdown officially became the longest in U.S. history, according to CNN, at 38 days long. Though the shutdown began in Washington, its consequences affect the people of Albion more than 600 miles away.
The shutdown began on Oct. 1 after Congress was unable to reach Senate consensus on a bill proposing funding for the fiscal year, according to USA Today. For the legislation to pass, all Republicans and at least seven Democrats in the Senate need to agree. Until that happens, ABC News stated, the government has ceased all “non-essential functions.” Among other things, this means Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits have been halted and air traffic control facilities are facing major staffing shortages.
Yesterday, CNN reported that a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled that the Trump administration must reinstate full SNAP benefits this month.
Director of the Anna Howard Shaw Center for Gender Equity and Victim Advocacy Lisa Winchell-Caldwell said for students she’s spoken to, worries are mounting as the holidays near.
According to Winchell-Caldwell, students are asking themselves if they’ll be able to get home safely and on time with flight cancellations and delays, if “other family be able to get home” and if there will be “food scarcity over the holidays.”
“They’ve been looking forward to a break, and I’m hearing a lot now of ‘what will it look like,’ the uncertainty of it all,” Winchell-Caldwell said.
Albion Mayor Victoria Snyder, alumna ‘89, said “the city is still working at full capacity to meet the needs of our residents.”
“The city of Albion, we’re a small-knit community,” Snyder said. “We do respond to our constituents, so we want to make sure people know if they do reach out to us, they’ll get an answer.”
Food Assistance
According to Community Table of Albion (CTA) program assistant Monique Hernandez, the CTA is now managing “an entire level of uncertainty” Hernandez said she is “not typically used to seeing.”
Hernandez said she’s heard “a lot of confusion and a lot of fear” from community members who utilize CTA’s services, as a result of the shutdown.
In the month of October, Hernandez said the CTA has served 674 families, and attendance at their monthly walk-in pantry “has risen probably close to 300%” in the past three years.
Though Hernandez said the CTA “probably would not have been able to support this number” with previous fundraising goals. Since adjusting their fundraising practices and “asking our community to step up,” Hernandez said she believes the organization is “much better suited” to address the community’s needs.
However, SNAP halts add a new variable to this equation.
“For every one meal that the food bank provides, SNAP is able to provide nine,” Hernandez said. “We’re not going to be able to cover that difference, but that doesn’t mean that we’re not going to try.”
According to Executive Director of the Albion Healthcare Alliance Amy Reimann, alumna ‘00, though federal cuts have not affected the CTA directly, they have affected CTA’s providers.
“We receive supplies from Community Action, and they have been cut,” Reimann said. “The supplies we have to feed our friends and neighbors have lessened through those avenues.”
Food insecurity puts a strain on already struggling communities in Albion, Reimann said.
“‘Am I going to go to the doctor, or am I going to eat?’ Those are really tough choices,” Reimann said. “That’s not a choice between ‘Am I going to Disney World, or the Caribbean?’”
To address this, Hernandez said the CTA plans to prepare meal kits for community members who have lost SNAP benefits during the shutdown. If others want to contribute, Reimann said the CTA “can always use hands” to help with packing or distribution, and donations are always welcome.
“If folks want to help, their best bet is to donate directly to the organizations that they want to support,” Hernandez said. “Many food banks have tons and tons of options for low-cost food items; we know where best to use that money.”
Healthcare
According to CNBC, this shutdown began with disagreements over the inclusion of Obamacare extensions included in the federal budget proposal, benefits which now face disruptions due to “changes to some benefits and fewer government workers.”
According to Associate Director of Health and Wellness Melissa Sommers, some students need to transfer their out-of-state Medicaid to Michigan, or need to apply for new Medicaid. Because of the shutdown, it’s taking “weeks” to get answers from the portal, resulting in what Sommers said is “a slower process for everything.”
“Before we would get pretty much an instant answer, every now and then we’d get something that says ‘pending,’” Sommers said. “Everybody is getting ‘pending’ right now.”
For students worried about their healthcare during the shutdown, Sommers said TimelyCare is still available, where they can video call with a physician.
“We can also send them to Oaklawn, we work closely with them, and they can retry the Medicaid when the approval comes in,” Sommers said. “If by chance they are not approved for Medicaid, Oaklawn is fantastic about working out some kind of discount payment plans.”
What’s Next?
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that “senators are seeking a way to reopen the government, put the normal federal funding process back on track and devise some sort of resolution for expiring health insurance subsidies that are spiking premium costs from coast to coast,” though there has yet to be a concrete end to the stalemate.
Reimann said Albion has “a large number of seniors,” who she worries will continue to be affected by healthcare cuts into next year.
“We’re concerned about what’s going to happen after January 1, when a whole bunch of people’s health insurance might be going up,” Reimann said.
Until the government is up and running again, Reimann said if Albion community members have friends or neighbors in need, the Albion Healthcare Alliance is “here to help.”
Jocelyn Kincaid-Beal also contributed reporting to this story.
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