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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMillions face delayed tax refunds, food stamps cuts as White House scrambles to deal with shutdown
Food stamps for 38 million low-income Americans face severe reductions and more than $140 billion in tax refunds are at risk of being frozen or delayed if the government shutdown stretches into February, widespread disruptions that threaten to hurt the economy.
The Trump administration, which had not anticipated a long-term shutdown, recognized only this week the breadth of the potential impact, several senior administration officials said. The officials said theyre focused now on understanding the scope of the consequences and determining whether there is anything they can do to intervene.
Thousands of federal programs are affected by the shutdown, but few intersect with the public as much as the tax system and the Department of Agricultures Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a modern-day version of food stamps.
The partial shutdown has cut off new funding to the Treasury Department and the USDA, leaving them largely unstaffed and crippling both departments ability to fulfill core functions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/millions-face-delayed-tax-refunds-cuts-to-food-aid-as-white-house-scrambles-to-deal-with-shutdown/2019/01/04/b5b58616-0fa3-11e9-8938-5898adc28fa2_story.html
Eliot Rosewater
(31,109 posts)AllaN01Bear
(18,119 posts)Andy823
(11,495 posts)And his band of uninformed people in his administration, they don't think about what will happen, they just do things that cause problems then blame someone else. It's the way trump has been his entire life, he just doesn't care about anyone but himself, and everyone else has to suffer because of him.
This man should be removed from office, and put on trial for all the crimes he has committed, and not allowed to cause any more pain and suffering to others just so he can please his base of cult followers.
elleng
(130,861 posts)OOPS!
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)One of the secretaries tried to get an EIN through the IRS's online portal today. Nope. She called the number for assistance, no answer. For most folks, not getting and employer identification number is no big thing. But if you're starting a business and you need to set up a bank account, sign a lease for an office, and hire employees, not having an EIN stops you cold.
Republicans could give a tin shit about tax refunds and SNAP benefits, but when their business constituents can't conduct business, they might just get off the schneid.
underpants
(182,736 posts)As I posted below - people like those refunds. It's like their bonus.
underpants
(182,736 posts)And I mean people who should try to break even on taxes but always pay more. It's like their bonus. They are not going to be happy. You think he's unpopular now??? Just wait.
House of Roberts
(5,168 posts)Who knows when I'll get around to calculating my taxes. Sometime in mid April I expect.