Other than being closed in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resource Conservation Service Office is still open for business in West Union. There’s a note on the door stating the the office is still open. However, the USDA’s Farm Agency Service Office, located in the same building, is closed while the government is shut down. Chris DeBack photo
Federal government shutdown affects reach Fayette County
By Chris Deback
cdeback@thefayettecountyunion.com
It has been over a month since the United States government shutdown because President Donald Trump and Congress couldn’t come to terms on an appropriations bill to fund the government for fiscal year 2019.
While the shutdown stems from larger immigration issues, it is mostly about President Trump’s request for $5.7 billion to build a border-wall along portions of the United States and Mexico border.
With the writing of this article on Monday, Jan. 21, and no end in-sight to the shutdown as both President Trump and House Democrats have dug in their heels over the border-wall, the shutdown is affecting people in northeast Iowa.
The biggest issue facing residents of Fayette County is the loss of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. According to CNN, on Sunday, Jan. 20, the final payment of SNAP benefits made with non-reserve appropriated funds was mailed to the 40.3 million Americans in the program. The agency said that it has $3 billion in reserve funds to help cover the cost of February’s payments; however, that’s almost a third-less than the $4.8 billion the program expended in September 2018. It amounts to approximately $90 per household for the 19.8 million households in the program.
If the government shutdown continues through February, it is unknown what the agency will do in terms of providing benefits to the low-income Fayette County residents within the program. Duane Willhite, North Fayette Valley superintendent, said that it could have an affect on food insecurity in the county.