Thread by @SeanCasten

Earlier today, we had a round table with domestic violence center managers, YMCA directors, health services officers, food assistance providers, air traffic controllers, lawyers, immigrant assistance groups and a farmer to talk about the effects of the shutdown. Thread: /1

For context, #IL06 has comparatively few federal workers relative to other congressional districts (4,255). But we have a HUGE number of people who depend on those federal workers who's voices also need to be heard. /2

Providers of family protective services noted that there has been a huge increase in call volume to rape crisis centers since the Kavanaugh hearing. Local YMCA is on a July fiscal year - they are already over last year's call volume. Let that sink in. /3

...but the local family service office that gets a significant amount of their funding from the federal gov't through VOCA is currently freezing all hiring to fill vacancies, leaving many of those calls unanswered after February /4

When they don't have staff to answer incoming calls, they are automatically re-routed to the Illinois state hotline. That is expected to shut down shortly. "This means a victim who has the courage and time to call won't get an answer, and we may not get a second chance" /5

And to top that off, "abusive behavior has been increasing in lethality in recent years". It is not hyperbolic to say that this #TrumpShutdown is going to kill people. /6

Moving to food. Some local food pantries are initiating efforts to set up mobile food banks at O'Hare, Midway and Rockford airport anticipating the soon-to-come needs of unpaid TSA employees. Thanks to all the food pantries doing that... with apologies that you have to /7

One of the local food pantries also provides tax assistance. Last year, they helped 850 families secure $1M in total tax refunds. They can't help them right now because "no one is home at the IRS". /8

To be clear, this affects higher income folks as well. Remember all those changes to the tax law that were passed last year? There is no one working at the IRS to answer questions right now. This is a problem for all income levels. /9

IL DHS staff are doing monks work to try and help people out in the near term, including by trying to accelerate their February SNAP payments so that needy have cash to meet food needs in January. BUT... /10

...they have no funding after February. So if you depend on those payments, make sure to set some aside for next month until we see movement from the Senate to put your food needs ahead of their political loyalties. /11

Also, they note that many federal workers are now eligible for food stamps because they're not getting paid. This is going to significantly increase draws on those programs at the same time those programs are being starved for funds. /12

If you are applying for food assistance from IL DHS, the deadline to apply for food assistance this month is this Tuesday, January 15. PLEASE make sure to get your application in now to ensure that you aren't trapped in the shutdown any longer than you need to be. /13

One participant noted the particular cruelty in cutting funding for evidence-based programs that have been proven to provide meaningful and cost effective health & welfare benefits. That means we KNOW we are putting people's health - and lives - at risk with this shutdown /14

Example 1: WIC programs to provide nutritional counseling and assistance to pregnant women has been proven to lead to healthier babies. That funding is on hold right now. /15

Example 2: Homeless support programs to provide housing have been proven to be very cost effective because once you have housing security you can work and contribute in other ways. Lots of people are going to lose housing for want of a few hundred $ a month. /16

Context: 1/3 of all births in DuPage county are by mothers who were in some way dependent on WIC funding. Those programs run out of cash in March if we fail to get the government open. /17

Another participant said her agency is about to make a decision: do we operate with the hope that we will get reimbursed or conserve limited cash until government reopens. Think about that: this is a person questioning nothing less than the full faith and credit of the U.S. /18

Air traffic controller: O'Hare is the busiest airport in the world. All of the ATCs got their paycheck this week for $0. "We're pretty stressed right now". To be blunt, we are not safe as a country when we stress out our air traffic controllers. /19

He also notes that the firm that does their security has been furloughed. So every time an employee or other necessary person wants to get into an air-traffic control facility, an ATC worker has to leave their terminal to go let them in. Air safety is at risk. /20

Now to farming. A McHenry county farmer who also serves as a director at his local food pantry came down. What we have done to farmers over the last few months is unconscionable. /21

First, the Trump tariffs. He said soybean prices fell from $12 to $9/bushel from the tariffs. He's seen a huge spike in volume at his food pantry as a direct result of the tariffs. Their food assistance is of course now at risk. /22

But there's a longer term issue: Those farmers depend on USDA reports to see what people are planting so that we don't overplant one crop and tank the price. Farmers' livelihood depends on access to data. USDA isn't providing that data right now because of the shutdown. /23

So if we don't open the government soon, the whole ag sector is going to be flying blind and we are risking huge price/supply gluts next harvest season. /24

Now to immigration. A local group that helps asylum seekers is grappling with a slow-down in court dates and paperwork processing. This is putting many people seeking legal asylum in the US into default and into detention centers. /25

Her comment: "we are paying far more to house these people in detention centers than we would have spent to process their application on time." This is heartbreaking. /26

This is a fraction of what I heard today. But it is all heartbreaking, not least because it is so utterly avoidable. /27

Our government is shutdown for no reason other than that our President decided he wanted a shutdown and McConnell isn't willing to stand up to him. Lives are at risk over this. For what? /28

Please, @SenMajLdr: read this thread. Look in your soul and do what's right. Bring the bills we passed in the House to the floor of the Senate. Let us then go together to compel the President to sign. The country is more important than your base. /29

In the meantime, we'll keep doing everything we can in the House. And for those in #IL06 who need help, reach out to us or to dupagefederation.org/about-us-1 who keep a "network of networks" of resources for folks in need. /fin