Government Shutdown Pain Spreads

7 Ways the GOP Shutdown is Hurting Americans

House Republican leaders are at the White House right now presenting their plan to give the nation a six-week reprieve from certain economic doom by agreeing that Congress will pay the nation’s bills through November 22.

We’re glad the Republicans recognize that we absolutely cannot risk an economic shutdown by defaulting on our obligations. As President Obama and Democrats have made clear and continue to make clear, it is non-negotiable for Congress to pay the bills Congress itself has already racked up.

Nevertheless, House Republicans are still insisting on prolonging another crisis – the government shutdown – for absolutely no reason. Republicans started this government shutdown in a failed attempt to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans but it should not go on a minute longer, whether it’s over Obamacare, hurt feelings, or any other reason.

Here are seven stories of the pain that is rippling across America thanks to the GOP shutdown:

Shutdown Leaves Maine’s Poor Without Heating Assistance As Winter Approaches: Maine has no home heating aid money left from last season as the shutdown wears on the temperatures fall.

Child Care Subsidies Jeopardized By The Shutdown: While many states should be able to cover the costs during the shutdown, some may not have much money to fall back on.

Jobless Claims Spike As Government Shutdown Cripples Thousands Of Contractor Jobs: About 15,000 of last week’s unemployment benefit applications came from laid-off government contractors.

Some Of The Neediest Schools Running Out Of Money As Shutdown Continues: The shutdown is delaying payments that some schools near Native American reservations and military bases need to keep operating.

The Ongoing Government Shutdown Is Preventing The National Institutes of Health (NIH) From Admitting New Patients To Clinical Trials: NIH clinical trials are typically the last resort for people whose illnesses haven’t responded to other types of treatment. Since the shutdown began last week, just a handful of desperately ill patients have managed to get a spot in an experimental trial at the so-called “House of Hope.”

Five Ways The Government Shutdown Is Threatening Our Health And Safety: The government shutdown is compromising everything from workplace safety to food security to public health research.

Republicans Downplay The EPA’s Closure During The Shutdown — Except When It Hurts Their Districts: Some think it’s better when EPA’s not allowed to protect clean air and water. But Rep. Steve King (R-IA) said on Wednesday that he didn’t see why EPA couldn’t just continue writing a biofuels standard he supports.

BOTTOM LINE: Enough is enough. The longer the GOP keeps the government closed, the more Americans and our economy will suffer. It’s time for Speaker Boehner to allow a vote on a clean funding bill to end this shutdown crisis and re-open the entire government.