What happens in the Brazos Valley during a government shutdown

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A government shutdown threatens not only Washington, D.C., but also the Brazos Valley. The last time we had a shutdown was six years ago. As a result, TSA agents, postal workers, Bush Library employees and many others were left without pay, and non-government employees were unable to use these resources.

President-elect Donald Trump came out Wednesday against a bipartisan plan that could prevent a government shutdown. After discussions late into the night and behind closed doors, a new deal is on the table.

However, the package still needs to pass the House and Senate to avoid a shutdown.

It was an update late Thursday evening that we discovered the House rejected Trump’s plan to finance federal operations and suspend the debt ceiling.

Let’s look back at the last time an outage occurred and see what a new outage could mean here in the Brazos Valley.

“Families will be hurt; farmers will be affected. “Ordinary Americans whose lives have been upended by extreme weather events like hurricanes, floods and wildfires will be hurt if they don’t get the help they need and deserve,” explained US Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York).

A government shutdown over the holidays is the worst-case scenario for hundreds of thousands of Americans.

TSA agents and postal workers would go without pay, while nearly a million others could find themselves out of work indefinitely.

This last happened in 2018. It started in late 2018 and continued until the end of January 2019.

Then the federally run George Bush Presidential Library faced uncertainty.

“We hope for the best. We’re preparing for the worst, and we’re hoping, you know, that with at least the grounds and the rotunda open, we can at least provide that experience for our visitors,” a library representative said.

However, federal institutions are not the only ones to be affected by a closure. Federal programs are also stopping, leaving Americans — especially low-income families — in a bind.

“Going without SNAP and WIC benefits for people who rely on them is going to be catastrophic,” said Theresa Mangapora, director of the Brazos Valley Food Bank.

On Thursday evening, Congress announced it would reach a deal, but Texas Sen. John Cornyn said members should cut costs rather than increase them.

“I don’t think anyone really wants to silence the government, but it’s always used as leverage or a threat. A gun, so to speak, to force more spending than we actually should be doing,” detailed Senator Cornyn.

Congress is expected to vote on the new deal later Thursday evening. It includes a two-year suspension of the federal debt ceiling, disaster aid and an extension of the farm bill, but drops much of the bill for consideration Wednesday. The proposal will require a two-thirds vote to pass.

As a possible government shutdown looms, two bills added to yesterday’s resolution aimed at keeping the government open are in jeopardy.

The Farm Bill, which provides funding and resources to farmers and ranchers, has been added to a new proposal that Congress will vote on Thursday evening.

“You can eliminate all of our (farm) programs, including food stamps, without impacting our federal budget deficit. So people need to understand that we’re spending pennies to protect everyone’s food,” said Joe Outlaw, Regents Fellow, professor and extension economist at Texas A&M.

However, the “Disposal Acta bill designed to regulate non-consensual deepfakes and revenge porn, does not appear to have passed.

“A sitting US senator should not have to call to retrieve these images. Every victim has the right to have this waste removed,” added Senator Ted Cruz.

The farm bill was extended last year, but if Congress fails to pass government funding, the farm bill could expire permanently, leaving the agricultural sector vulnerable.

As Trump pushes for a continuing resolution, new bills like the Take It Down Act could be killed.

If the House and Senate fail to pass a government funding bill by midnight Friday, the government will shut down. If no resolution is made, it will be the 11th of the United States government shutdown.