The current government shutdown is now the second-longest in American history, and there’s no sign it will end anytime soon.
As is typical, Congress failed to pass the required spending bills by the time the federal fiscal year ended on Sept. 30, so the Republican-controlled House passed a “clean” continuing resolution that would have extended funding at current levels for seven weeks.
But the resolution stalled in the Senate, where Republicans are in control but don’t have the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster by Democrats.
Democrats introduced their own stopgap spending bill that would have kept the government open for six weeks, but added $1.5 trillion in health care spending to extend Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies.
The subsidies were increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they had a built-in expiration date. Democrats would now like to see the expiration date removed, saying the skyrocketing cost of health care makes this necessary.
Republicans have countered that haggling over Obamacare subsidies should happen during the regular appropriations process, not as a condition of keeping the government open.
Utahns assign blame for shutdown
So, who do Utahns say is to blame for the shutdown?
A new Deseret News-Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, conducted by Morning Consult, shows 42% of Utahns say congressional Democrats are to blame, while 34% blame congressional Republicans.
A quarter of the state’s voters say they don’t know who is to blame.
Unsurprisingly, Democrats are much more likely to say Republicans are to blame, and Republicans are more likely to say it’s Democrats’ fault.
Human cost of shutdown widens
As the parties continue to bicker over a spending bill, the human toll of the shutdown is expanding.
On Wednesday, Utah’s Department of Workforce Services said food stamp (SNAP) payments will not be issued for November, affecting 86,000 households in the state.
“Workforce Services does not anticipate that SNAP payments will resume until the federal government reopens,” a department spokesperson said. The program is 100% federally funded.
Affected families were encouraged to reach out to local food banks.
Already essential federal employees are working without pay, while many others are furloughed. And at least 4,000 government employees have been laid off.
On Thursday, Republicans tried to pass a bill that would have seen essential workers receive paychecks, but only three Democrats crossed over to support it — not enough to overcome the filibuster.
When Utahns were asked whether they had personally experienced economic hardship because of the shutdown, 17% of registered voters in the state said they have, while 28% said they or someone they knew has experienced hardship.
Among registered voters, 57% said they don’t know anyone who has experienced hardship.
Survey respondents were able to select more than one option.
Voters with household incomes under $50,000 a year were more likely to say they were personally affected, with a quarter of those respondents saying they had experienced hardship because of the shutdown.
Utah lawmakers weigh in on shutdown
The members of Utah’s all-Republican congressional delegation have expressed frustration with the shutdown.
Rep. Blake Moore, who is in Republican leadership in the House, called out Democrats after it became clear SNAP benefits would be delayed. “Our food banks are already feeling the impact and won’t be able to fill the gap,” he said.
Sen. Mike Lee criticized Democrats over their votes against the bill to provide pay to essential federal workers, calling the move “indefensible.”
He has also encouraged Republican leaders — Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson — to not back down by negotiating with Democrats to reopen the government.
Johnson has said repeatedly that he would not bring House Republicans back to Washington, D.C., until Senate Democrats relented on the clean continuing resolution.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he’s ready to negotiate.
Utah Sen. John Curtis has also expressed frustration over the impasse.
“This shutdown was decided by Democrat leaders back in March over political infighting, and they’re using a crisis they created back in 2022 as an excuse,” he said in a social media post last week, referring to the subsidies. “Enough is enough. We need to fund the government and negotiate in good faith. Not hold essential government services hostage.”
Rep. Celeste Maloy pointed out that local credit unions and banks are offering loans to those affected by the shutdown.
“In tough times, Utahns look out for each other,” she said.