U.S. State Rep. Chellie Pingree is urging passage of the budget bill covering agriculture and Food and Drug Administration programs because she says Mainers are being hurt by the partial federal government shutdown.
“The single parent trying to make ends meet and not knowing whether their SNAP benefits will be there next month,” Pingree says. “And for the couple that won’t be able to close on their dream home because they can’t access a rural housing loan.”
The budget bill for agriculture and the FDA has been held up due to the stalemate over funding for a wall on the southern U.S. border with Mexico. Pingree says she’s also very concerned about the loss of food and drug inspections as the budget impasse continues.
“Just last month we finalized the 2018 Farm Bill, finally giving farmers and families certainty about these important USDA programs,” she says. “That certainty was ripped away from them because the USDA can’t start implementing the Farm Bill until the shutdown ends.”
