This diary is not to minimize what our furloughed Federal workers are going through, it is to warn you about what is coming because even if you think you are insulated, likely you are not.
We have seen citizens and organizations step up to help in any way they can, but it won’t be enough. In thirty days or less, the full force of the shutdown will hit 46.2 million Americans living at or below the poverty level. This is more than the total population of our 40 largest cities. Here is a partial list of who this will hurt.
@ 400,000 low-income seniors living in Section 202 HUD housing.
@ 16.4 Million children, almost ¼ of kids in the US, will lose school meals and
Medicaid.
@. 15 million mothers and infants will lose WIC and their Medicaid.
@. More than 40 million people will lose SNAP benefits and their Medicaid.
@ Almost 5 million people will lose their housing, more than half are families with
children and about a million are people with disabilities.
@ 23 million people will lose LIHEAP energy assistance, and winter isn’t over.
@ 5.2 million Native Americans living on tribal land.
@ Commodities will dry up at the food banks who will be stretched to the limit.
Here is a more complete list of our Federal safety net. Many of these programs are suspended during the shutdown. Money not being spent, SNAP benefits put $1.70 back into the economy for every $1.00 in benefits, which represents a 4 billion dollar net loss every month SNAP benefits don’t go out. Then there is the cascade caused by other government programs shuttered. People who work on commission like real estate brokers depend on loans closing. Construction will slow and stress will be put on state and city governments. Cars and homes will be repossessed and banks will take a hit. Small businesses will start to fail, people will be laid off, unemployment will rise and wages will stall.
This is an excellent plan for crashing the economy. This is not an accident, it is a plan to destroy this country. The shutdown will ravage government agencies as workers are forced to look for other employment, there will be a huge economic downturn which will lead to a declared emergency and the suspension of the Constitution. A bloodless coup as long as you don't count the poor sacrificed for Putin. It is time we started dealing with Trump for what he is, a Russian agent. I am not saying Speaker Pelosi should cave to his demands, it would only tell him he can get what he wants by shutting down the government. I do think the House Democrats are in a position to make life a living hell for Trump, Pence and anyone else in Congress who has worked for the Russians either directly or indirectly. Anyone who doesn’t cooperate gets to sit in jail until they do. I just hope it isn’t too late, I fear we may have already passed the tipping point.