Welcome to meet the press now. I'm Yamishal Sender in Washington, where the government

shutdown is set to enter a fifth week. And the consequences for tens of millions of

Americans across the country

are growing increasingly severe. Over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced

that the money for the food assistance program called SNAP, formerly known as food stamps,

will not be distributed starting November 1st. That means some 42 million Americans who rely on

the program could lose their food

assistance benefits in just a few days. Both the department's official website and Republican

lawmakers on Capitol Hill are blaming Democrats for the lapse in funding.

The way to make this stop immediately is for we just need a handful. We need five more Democrats

in the Senate to do the right thing. The best way for SNAP benefits to be paid on time is for the Democrats to end their shutdown.

And that can happen right now if they would show some spot.

But SNAP benefits aren't the only social safety net program getting caught up in the fight over government funding.

WIC, the program that provides food assistance to pregnant women, new moms and young

children could also run out of funding if the shutdown drags on.

And Head Start, which provides early childhood support for low-income families, could also

face disruptions.

Meanwhile, the country's largest union representing federal workers is now ramping up pressure

on Congress to reopen the government and implicitly

calling out Democrats for not supporting a clean funding bill. In a statement today, the union's

president writing, quote, both political parties have made their point. And still, there is no clear

end in sight. It's time to pass a clean, continuing resolution and end this shutdown today.

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