Overview
- The shutdown reached day 40 with negotiations stalled as Democrats push a one-year extension of expiring ACA subsidies and Republicans dismiss the demand, after multiple failed short-term funding votes.
- A Supreme Court stay on food-stamp issues created uncertainty for beneficiaries, prompting Maryland to allocate $62 million to keep SNAP flowing, add over $10 million each for heating aid and food banks, and provide free transit for unpaid federal workers.
- West Virginia plans up to $13 million for food banks and has activated the National Guard to maintain access to food, with Gov. Patrick Morrisey urging Congress to pass a clean continuing resolution.
- Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger said Democratic election wins are not a license to prolong the standoff and called for an immediate reopening, citing strain on federal employees and contractors in the state.
- Morrisey highlighted a Rural Health Transformation Program that could deliver $100 million a year to West Virginia for five years, while the state hospital association warns of losses exceeding $1 billion annually under recent Republican legislation.