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U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, AL-07, released the following statement on Thursday:
“Because of House Republicans’ last-minute decision to abandon our bipartisan funding agreement, Alabama communities could lose out on $284 million in urgently needed disaster assistance. And just days before Christmas, countless military families, seniors, first responders, and veterans could have their paychecks and benefits put at risk by a government shutdown.”
“Donald Trump and Elon Musk may not know how it feels to miss a paycheck, but it is Alabama’s working families who will pay the price for their reckless shutdown. House Republicans should stop taking orders from billionaires and start looking out for the needs of hard working families.”
According to an analysis by the House Budget Committee Minority, under a Trump-Musk shutdown:
- 38,017 active duty and reserve personnel serving our nation’s armed forces in Alabama would be forced to go without the pay they earn during a shutdown.
- The Small Business Administration would stop processing small business loans, halting a program that provides $284,694,700 in funding to small businesses in Alabama every year.
- 4,797 people flying through Alabama airports every day would face potential delays and safety concerns due to staffing impacts on TSA agents and air traffic controllers.
- 111,999 people in Alabama would lose access to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits in a prolonged shutdown.
- 46,826 federal workers in Alabama would be furloughed or forced to work without pay during a total government shutdown, in addition to the many employees of businesses with government contracts who could be laid off, furloughed, or see their hours cut.
- Workers at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be sidelined, risking interruptions and delays to the 224 food safety, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and other inspections conducted in Alabama last year.
- The Department of Agriculture would be forced to stop processing housing loans, which provide $545,442,546 in funding to help 3,049 families in rural Alabama communities buy homes every year.
- The Department of Agriculture would be forced to stop processing farm loans which provide $93,451,000 in funding for farmers in Alabama every year.
- 772,813 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries in Alabama would lose access to benefits in a prolonged shutdown.
- 1,294,952 people who visit national parks in Alabama every year would be turned away or unable to fully access parks, monuments, and museums.
To help constituents prepare for a possible Trump-Musk shutdown, Rep. Sewell’s office has compiled a webpage with frequently asked questions here.
