There's About To Be An Awful New Consequence Of The Shutdown

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As the government shutdown continues, government agencies like the Social Security Administration and programs like Medicaid have been fielding questions about whether the money that Americans rely on will continue to flow.

Thankfully, for many families, one piece of the puzzle has so far not been in question. School districts around the country have put out messages reassuring families that the National School Lunch Program, which provides low-cost or free nutritious meals to schoolchildren, will continue — for now.

November will be a different story.

More than 700,000 federal workers have been sent home while the government has ceased operations. Among them are some 43,000-plus workers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the country’s school nutrition programs. Typically, school districts pay for school lunches and then are reimbursed by the government. But without a funding agreement, the government isn’t able to spend money on many programs it normally funds, like school lunches.