government shutdown

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has called on the Interior Department to close national parks down until Congress agrees on a deal to fund the government. The advocacy group says that parks are being stretched thin by relying on a "skeleton crew" since more than 9,000 workers have been furloughed, and are losing up to $1 million a day due to a lack of visitor fees.

SNAP recipients should receive their benefits in October. The White House also pledged to keep WIC operational using tariff revenues.

On The Florida Roundup, former U.S. Reps. Carlos Curbelo and Stephanie Murphy discuss the need for consensus and contacting lawmakers with personal stories.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from Weston, is convening a roundtable discussion Friday with local healthcare leaders and consumer advocates to talk about the impasse in Congress over extending critical tax credits for health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act.

National parks, refuges and the Big Cypress Preserve furloughed staff and began cutting services after the U.S. government shutdown at midnight Wednesday.

Even before the federal government shut down Wednesday, Democratic and Republican lawmakers in South Florida were engaging in partisan finger pointing on who's to blame for the legislative standoff.

Congress’ failure to pass a short-term government funding bill before midnight Tuesday will lead to the first shutdown in nearly seven years and give President Donald Trump broad authority to determine what federal operations keep running — which will have a huge impact on the government, its employees, states and Americans.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, said Affordable Care Act enrollees, and other healthcare customers, are at risk of surging premium rates at a news conference in Sunrise Thursday.

Of South Florida’s nine congressional lawmakers, only U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R−Fort Pierce, voted against the short-term funding bill to keep the federal government open.

A handful of federal programs that people nationwide rely on everyday could also be disrupted — from dwindling funds for food assistance to potential delays in customer service for recipients of Medicare and Social Security.

Much government activity would stop during a shutdown, and the fate of Social Security checks — a lifeline for many older Americans — is top of mind for many people.

Lawmakers are still trying to iron out the details on a larger plan but say they have agreed on a framework for how to fund the government through September 2023.