Shutdown fight fuels anger and uncertainty far from Washington, D.C.
A government shutdown with no end in sight is starting to take a toll on Central America, the mayors of four cities say.
In interviews, the mayors of Kansas City, Missouri; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Minneapolis; and Cleveland told NBC News they are hearing from their residents about fear, economic insecurity and sheer anger over the chaos brought on by the inaction in the nation’s capital.
“What people in Washington don’t understand is what it means to live paycheck to paycheck,” said Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti. “There are so many families here in Scranton that if their wages are affected in any way by this federal shutdown, they will have to choose between rent and child care, child care and food.”
The mayors, all Democrats, as is the case in many big cities, say their residents have questions about health care and whether their Social Security checks will still arrive. Some want to know more about housing vouchers or SNAP food benefits.
Tensions are increasing as the federal government shutdown entered its 17th day on Friday. This blockage has already resulted in a large number of federal employees no longer working, while some continue to work but without pay.
Each side blames the impasse on the other. Democrats point the finger at Republicans, who hold power in the White House and both chambers of Congress, accusing them of refusing to come to the table to talk about protecting people from losing health coverage and skyrocketing premiums. Republicans accuse Democrats of making unreasonable demands.
The mayors say that for them, closing their doors is not an option. Regardless of political infighting in Congress, mayors must keep water running and trash collected. In some cases, they worried that the cuts could harm vulnerable populations, like homeless veterans, and that they would be forced to step in to fill the void. And now they’re doing it under constant threat of diminishing federal funding streams.
“I see a lot of anger, and the anger I see comes from the fact that Republicans and the president came out in favor of lowering the cost of living for Americans in the last election,” said Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb. “What they’ve done is not only have they continued to raise prices and increase the cost of health insurance for ordinary Americans, but now they’re trying to blame Democrats for the shutdown.”
The White House objected to these characterizations.
“These mayors should know the facts: It was their Democratic colleagues in the United States Senate who shut down the federal government,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. “If Senate Democrats truly care about ordinary American citizens and American cities that rely on federal funding, they should reopen the federal government with the same clean funding bill they have already voted for 13 times under Joe Biden.”
Mayors, however, say their uncertainty has many layers, including the constant threat that President Donald Trump will target their cities for politically motivated reasons.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called out the Trump administration for being scattered and inconsistent in its approach to his city throughout the year. Frey spoke about federal grant programs that were called into question at one point.
“The consequences of very bad choices are felt at the local level, and we are the ones who are picking up the slack,” he said. “People come to us looking for solutions, and it always helps to have a solutions-oriented partner in the White House.”
Now the shutdown is causing a whole new element of chaos, he said.
“Our ability to anticipate what’s coming is much less clear when you have one federal administration that’s operating in chaos, and two are trying to withhold federal funds, and three are currently at a standstill,” Frey said.
Cognetti said the shutdown was just the latest blow to families and small businesses after a year of budget cuts from Washington.
“We’re already in a situation where many of our nonprofits, our school district, our health and human services across the county are struggling to understand how they’re going to survive through the end of the year and into the years to come,” she said. “With budget cuts and this blocking of federal funds [it] this will make the situation worse.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said 30,000 federal workers were on edge.
“I’ve been hearing the anger of workers, I think, since the beginning of the year, saying, ‘Look, I really don’t care who the president is, I’m going to show up, do my job and fulfill the mission.’ And the fact that this has been compromised every step of the way, I think, is frustrating,” he said.
Lucas also spoke about the ripple effects of the shutdown. So far, the Kansas City Airport has not yet been impacted by a potential air traffic control shortage, but that doesn’t mean airport passengers won’t feel the consequences.
“If eight flights from Chicago are all delayed and they are key flights in the system, that will mean Kansas City will be backed up, which will mean another location will be backed up,” he said. “There is anger among employees, and that will eventually spread to the American people.”
Republicans say they came to the table and offered solutions, and they portray Democrats as having unreasonable demands. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Democrats should learn from past shutdowns that it’s not a winning proposition.
“We made the mistake of shutting down the government for 35 days to try to build the wall, and they didn’t bend, and we ended up, you know, building the wall,” Graham said. “What I’m trying to say is put the government back together and put an end to the chaos. I don’t know about you, but I have a feeling international terrorism is on the move again and your airport systems have been hijacked with pro-Hamas messaging. Now is not the time to let our guard down.”
