About 12.4%, some 41 million, of the U.S.'s 333 million people live at or below the poverty line, the Census Bureau calculates, which is set at about $29,678 for a household of two adults and two chidren.
That rate fell to a record low in 2021 thanks to COVID-19 federal support, but has jumped as these programs expired.
Hardline Republicans in the House have rejected a deal the Republican-led House negotiated with U.S. President Joe Biden in May for $1.59 trillion in discretionary spending in fiscal 2024, paving the way for wide swaths of the government to shut down for the fourth time in a decade.
We fucking hate the poor in the US don’t we?
What a cruel stupid country.
We did declare war on them
Looks like republicans are going to blame democrats for this crisis, looks like this will help them in 2024, looks like it will result in republican victories as it always does. >!even though it’s their fault, like almost always 🤦!<
The Republicans lost the presidency, the house, and the senate in 2020 following the 2018 shutdowns.
Don’t be so quick to think this helps them in the slightest.
True, but it might be a tossup whether that was voting against Trump’s party or voting against the party that caused the shutdown. I do hope you’re right though, fingers crossed!
Even most of the Republicans think a shutdown will hurt them
It’s a pretty hard case to make. This isn’t even Republicans in general; it’s a handful of absolute lunatics in the House that the rest of them don’t even like. Everyone saw the clown show when McCarthy was nominated for Speaker, and this is an obvious continuation of that.
Dont forget the millions of Americans not allowed to get any help with health insurance, because theyre too poor to qualify for it.
Stop being poor for fuck sake. We got proxy wars and corporations to feed.
A shutdown could cause a rapid loss of food benefits for nearly 7 million low-income women and children on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infacts and Children, or WIC, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
But don’t worry, the Pentagon is exempting Ukraine operations from the government shutdown.
Really shows the priorities of this country.
And Congress will still be paid don’t forget that.
This is constitutionally required as per the 27th Amendment.
The optics are gross, admittedly, but it would literally violate the Constitution to suspend their pay. It also does neuter a potential strategy of a coalition of wealthy Congress critters simply doing nothing as an intentional effort to cut off their opponents’ income and pressure their direct personal finances.
This probably wasn’t a consideration during the drafting of the amendment, but it’s not as if we’re going to be touching the Constitution any time soon, so here we are.
Don’t all employees of the federal government get back pay for the days they would have been working?
They do, yes, but it’s obviously a big disruption, especially if they start missing pay checks.
Yeah but my landlord doesn’t take future back pay as rent
Would you prefer the Pentagon stop operating?
The entire thing is stupid, but there’s one party that’s squarely responsible for this. Go ask the House GOP why they don’t care about halting SNAP payments, but I don’t see how enabling Russia to slaughter more Ukrainians would be better.
I would prefer we feed the hungry.
Ask Kevin McCarthy to go wrangle his clowns then, since he’s in charge of that particular circus.
How about I ask America to not be a country that puts war before people? Why must you defend this shithole country for the evil it does?
Ah, my apologies; I didn’t realize I was talking to a clown. Enjoy waiting around for the revolution. It’ll be here any day now, I’m sure!
Is it funny to you when the poor starve while the war machine marches on uninhibited?
Your impressive lack of ability to have a conversation with any amount of good faith is pretty entertaining, yes.
Speaking of the poor starving, while you’re talking to McCarthy, hop over the to Senate and ask the Republicans (and Manchin and Sinema as well, but also 50 Republicans), why they ended Biden’s child tax credit that caused significant measurable reductions in child poverty and food insecurity?
You know, since you seem to care so much about these things.
Yes.
Government shutdowns would have be much less frequent if they shut down the entire government.
The machine must be fed. No matter what happens, the machine feeds.
At some point replacement cogs are going to start running low.
Thanks #GOP!
