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January 18, 2019

Government Shutdown Threatens Safety Net Programs for Millions
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Meanwhile, the shutdown has entered its 28th day, with state and local
governments warning social safety net programs could soon buckle under
the strain. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio warned Thursday that if
the shutdown stretches into March, some 1.6 million low-income New York
City residents will lose benefits as the city loses a half-billion
dollars a month in federal aid for food stamps, rental assistance and
school lunches.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: "I met with clergy leaders this morning. I asked
them to prepare to help members of their congregations in every
conceivable way, starting in all instances with food. But that reality
of the loss of half a billion dollars a month is just too staggering to
miss. We will not be able to make people whole. We just won't."



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