Title
To Recognize the Impact of the Federal Government Shutdown on the Residents of Columbus and Ohio
Body
WHEREAS, the current federal government shutdown is causing immediate and cascading harm to states, local governments, workers and communities;
WHEREAS, Medicaid, SNAP food assistance and other essential programs are disrupted, leaving state agencies and caseworkers to manage overwhelming backlogs while families face unnecessary delays;
WHEREAS, federal dollars for health care, education, infrastructure and public safety are stalled, forcing governors and legislatures into the untenable choice of covering for federal failure with reserves, borrowing schemes, or passing the pain onto workers and communities;
WHEREAS, tens of thousands of civilian federal employees and contract workers in Ohio-many of whom are union members-are being forced to work without pay or are furloughed, causing great personal financial stress;
WHEREAS, Black, Brown, immigrant and low-income workers are disproportionately harmed when benefits are delayed, services are shuttered and paychecks are withheld;
WHEREAS, counties and municipalities rely heavily on federal pass-through dollars for essential services such as public health, transportation, housing and education, and the shutdown forces them to make devastating choices-cutting services, borrowing or depleting reserves;
WHEREAS, shutdown-driven delays in housing assistance, infrastructure projects and public health funding destabilize local economies, increase pressure on municipal budgets and erode trust in government at the community level;
WHEREAS, as local leaders, we are always accountable to our constituents for service disruptions caused by federal inaction, which strains state and local resources and undermines our ability to serve our communities;
WHEREAS, governors and state legislatures will need to take emergency measures during the shutdown to protect working families-including temporary backfill...
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