{"id":370574,"date":"2025-11-11T02:42:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T02:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/370574\/"},"modified":"2025-11-11T02:42:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T02:42:20","slug":"relief-and-mixed-emotions-with-an-end-to-the-federal-shutdown-in-sight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/370574\/","title":{"rendered":"Relief and mixed emotions with an end to the federal shutdown in sight"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN ANTONIO<\/strong> \u2013 Every car in the San Antonio Food Bank line contains a story of struggle. Lately, many of them have had to do with the federal shutdown.<\/p>\n

One woman in line who hadn\u2019t received her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for November said she was using money to pay for bills to buy food instead. <\/p>\n

Another SNAP recipient said meat \u201chasn\u2019t been on the table for the last two months.\u201d<\/p>\n

The federal shutdown resulted in an interruption of SNAP benefits in November, though state officials confirmed<\/a> Monday that partial benefits would be distributed. On top of that, many of the 38,000 federal employees in the San Antonio area aren\u2019t drawing a paycheck. <\/p>\n

Michael Guerra, the food bank\u2019s chief philanthropy officer, said they\u2019ve seen their lines grow since the shutdown began Oct. 1. They\u2019re now helping another 50,000 or so people each week on top of the 105,000 to 120,000 they usually see, attributing nearly all of it to the shutdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we saw people maybe just hedging their bet, \u2018Maybe I\u2019m going to get SNAP, maybe I\u2019ll get a paycheck, maybe I won\u2019t, but I\u2019m going to be prepared,\u2019 and they leaned on the San Antonio Food Bank and our partners to be prepared that way,\u201d Guerra said.<\/p>\n

But now, a possible end to the shutdown is in sight. A group<\/a> of Senate Democrats and an independent senator have broken with their caucus and voted with Republicans to reopen the government<\/a>. <\/p>\n

It is unclear when the Senate will hold final votes on the legislation, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he hopes passage would be swift. Still, an end could be days away if any senators object.<\/p>\n

The legislation would still need to clear the House before the government could reopen. Speaker Mike Johnson urged lawmakers to start returning to Washington \u201cright now\u201d given travel delays, but he said he would issue an official notice for the House\u2019s return once the Senate passes the legislation.<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump expressed support for the agreement Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to be opening up our country very quickly,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Guerra said it would be a relief for the food bank and the people it serves for the government to reopen.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s \u2018I\u2019m going to get my SNAP benefit for November, I might get it late,\u2019 or, \u2018I\u2019m actually getting a paycheck, and I\u2019ve missed a couple of those,\u2019\u201d Guerra said, \u201cthat\u2019s a relief for us, but we know it\u2019s a release for our families.”<\/p>\n

However, the deal the senators reached with Republicans does not include any resolution though on the issues at the heart of the shutdown: Democrats\u2019 desire to extend subsidies for health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the San Antonio International Airport, Vince Hoppe, who was visiting from Colorado, said he had used some of the subsidies but could manage without them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho wouldn\u2019t want an extra $150 in your pocket every month, you know? And so, yeah, sure. I mean, absolutely, you would love them back. But there\u2019s other considerations at play,\u201d Hoppe said.<\/p>\n

In the food bank\u2019s afternoon distribution line, the pair of SNAP recipients KSAT spoke with had mixed feelings about Democrats agreeing to end the shutdown without getting an extension for the subsidies.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can go hand-in-hand either way,\u201d Linda Lanthrip said. <\/p>\n

George Herrera told KSAT he prays that the shutdown is \u201cover and done with\u201d while also saying the subsidies were \u201cworth fighting for\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019ve gone this far. What else do we have to lose?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI just hope everybody walks away with what they want,\u201d he said when KSAT asked about the shutdown ending without getting the subsidies extended. \u201cAnd I hope it was worth it, because we\u2019re the ones suffering.”<\/p>\n

The Associated Press contributed to this report<\/p>\n

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