MN Senate hears shutdown’s toll on TSA, WIC
At an Oct. 30 hearing of the Minnesota Senate’s Subcommittee on Federal Impacts, union leaders said MSP TSA agents are missing rent and taking home donated food boxes, while advocates warned Minnesota’s WIC funds (about $9M/month) will last only through the third week of November. State officials cited diminished communication with USDA and Attorney General Keith Ellison said a judge is expected to rule soon in the 25‑state lawsuit seeking to restore SNAP during the shutdown.
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📌 Key Facts
- AFGE: ~18,000 federal workers in MN; ~1,000 are TSA agents; some face $50/day rent late fees starting Nov. 1
- Children’s Defense Fund: WIC funds projected to last only through the third week of November in Minnesota
- AG Ellison: court ruling expected soon in multi‑state SNAP suit; USDA contingency plan removed from its website per state testimony
📚 Contextual Background
- Essential federal functions generally continue during a shutdown, including border protection, law enforcement, air traffic control and power grid maintenance.
- A 2019 law requires furloughed federal employees to receive back pay after a government shutdown ends.
- Minnesota is home to about 18,000 federal workers, with the majority employed at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
- Starting Oct. 1, the new maximum monthly SNAP allotments for Minnesota households are: 1 person $298, 2 people $546, 3 people $785, 4 people $994, 5 people $1,183, 6 people $1,421, 7 people $1,571, 8 people $1,789, and each additional person $218.