- Shutdown enters fourth week: Condition of millions of people is dire
- Fear of not getting food aid in several states including California, Maryland, Texas and Arizona
It is impossible to say when history will change its course. Once upon a time, Americans who laughed at the lines of hungry people in a country like India are now standing in such lines themselves. Today, Americans are standing in lines outside food banks for a single meal. No one could have imagined that more than 40 million Americans would suffer such government starvation in the 21st century.
As the shutdown in America entered its 4th week on Friday, unpaid federal workers, including families of soldiers, were seen standing in long queues in front of ‘food banks’. This situation has been seen not only in one or two states but in several other states including California, Maryland, Texas and Arizona.
The crux of the matter is that Americans in the world’s richest nation are lining up for ‘free meals’ because they fear that they may not get even this from next month.
These long queues were seen on many social media. It has been estimated that at least 41 million Americans are dependent on the ‘Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program’ (SNAP). Videos about this are now going viral. In which long queues are seen in states like Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania, Maryland.
Many on social media said that as many as 700,000 federal workers have been laid off as the ‘shutdown’ of the federal government continues. Almost as many are working without pay. People in many states, including Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania and Texas, are worried whether this ‘food aid’ will continue next month.
