The federal government shutdown hits the one month mark on Nov. 1.
Democrats are refusing to vote for a clean resolution to get things running again unless Republicans extend tax subsidies that help millions of Americans afford health insurance. Those subsidies are set to expire at the end of the year.
U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland is a Democrat from Tacoma and Washington's 10th Congressional District, which stretches from west of Olympia to Puyallup and includes parts of Pierce and Thurston counties. She joined KNKX to discuss the impacts of the shutdown in the South Sound.
Transcript
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KNKX Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick: What have you heard from your constituents about how the shutdown is affecting them?
Congressional District 10 US Rep. Marilyn Strickland: I had a meeting with some small business owners, and they are talking about the effects of the shutdown because they themselves have employees who rely on getting health care through the Affordable Care Act, and that premium subsidy is very important because it makes it affordable. In addition to that, the Small Business Administration is closing right now. So if you're applying for a loan with the SBA that's on hold.
Kendrick: One of those areas of impact is the SNAP benefits that are expected to expire Saturday [Nov. 1]. Nearly one million people across the state rely on these food assistance benefits, about 35,000 households in District 10. What efforts are happening, congresswoman, in your district to help people experiencing food insecurity?
Strickland: People are so kind. I mean, you hear people who are volunteering. People are donating to food banks. I think there are a handful of restaurants who are saying, "If you come in and you want to eat here, we'll give you a big discount." But people are coming together to try and help those in need. The other thing I want to talk about as well is that we forget that people who use SNAP benefits use them in grocery stores. Grocery stores have very narrow margins, and so again, this is affecting the entire ecosystem of how we feed people and how we take care of those who are most in need.
Kendrick: I wanted to also ask: Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has been instructing members to stay in their home districts, rather than in Washington, D.C., what work could be getting done if the House were to be called back during the shutdown, as the Senate is?
Strickland: There are still bills that we can pass in legislation. I introduced a bipartisan bill about increasing tree canopies in neighborhoods and near transit centers so that people get shade. And the importance of these tree canopies, as you know, is that it helps address climate change. And so there's so many bills that people have that we could be working on that aren't even related to the shutdown if we chose to move forward. But he refuses to bring us back into session. And Kirsten, here's the thing that I'm seeing happening. There are people I serve with who are part of the GOP caucus. They are now talking about it. Beth Van Duyne from Texas is talking about it. Kevin Kiley from California is talking about it. And they are saying very publicly, "You need to call us back into session. This is bad. It's a bad look, and it's bad for the Republican Party."
Kendrick: Well, as the shutdown does drag on, so many more people are being impacted. As we've been discussing, most of the roughly 14,000 federal workers in your district aren't getting paychecks. Air traffic controllers are working without pay, as well as the staff at Madigan Army Medical Center in District 10. Head Start programs that rely on federal funding say they may have to close. So the Democratic Party has made this a fight over health insurance. In your view, is it worth it?
Strickland: One hundred percent. And here's why: This bill passed back in July, and we called it the "big, ugly bill," and it did a lot of terrible things, but the worst and most egregious was the possibility of taking health care away from 15 million people.
Kendrick: How do you see this all playing out? Do you expect it to drag into the holidays?
Strickland: I don't think it will drag into the holidays, and I tend to be an optimist in very challenging times. And I'll tell you why, because I think one of the things that a lot of my Republican colleagues did not think of was the fact that these cuts to health care for denying SNAP benefits or [the supplemental nutrition program] WIC — all these things — these things affect Republicans in Republican districts, people who voted for Trump, people who are MAGA.
This should not be a partisan issue, access to health care, access to food, help for women, infants and children — that should not be a partisan issue, because it affects every last one of us. And I think they're starting to hear from their constituents and their base saying, "Wait a minute, this is going to hurt me." I did hear that there's supposed to be some conversation happening with the Senate Majority Leader, and I hear that he may be talking to some Democrats.
Kendrick: Alright congresswoman, thank you so much for your time.
Strickland: Thanks for having me.
Kendrick: Democrat Marilyn Strickland represents Washington's District 10 in Congress.
