A new report from the White House Council of Economic Advisors indicates that the government shutdown will have devastating consequences for Georgia families, businesses, and workers. Democrats like Senators Jon Ossoff (D) and Chuck Schumer (D) have argued that they are fighting for the people and their healthcare, but the new report shows the shutdown's impact could be severe.
The White House report estimates that Georgia's Gross State Product will decline by approximately $458 million each week the shutdown extends, which is the equivalent of $2 billion per month. As a result of estimated GDP declines, the report indicates there may be an increase in unemployment of about 1,400 workers in Georgia under a 1-month shutdown.
Moreover, most federal workers will be furloughed or be required to work without pay. In Georgia, there are around 109,000 federal workers, about 2.3 percent of the state workforce.
SNAP benefits are safe, but only for 30 days until funding delays actually kick in. This is noteworthy because in Georgia, there are around 1,356,000 total enrollees in SNAP, and an estimated 526,000 of whom are children.
Benefits are likely delayed for those who receive their Social Security benefits by check instead of direct deposit. In Georgia, approximately 13,200 seniors receive their benefits by check, placing them at risk.
Federal funding for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program stops immediately under a shutdown and becomes reliant on local contingency funding. If the government shutdown is prolonged, those reserves are likely to run out by the end of the first week. In Georgia, there are approximately 231,000 WIC recipients who rely on the program for nutritional support for themselves and their children.
Small businesses also stand to lose during the shutdown. Small Business Administration loans are frozen, and assuming equal, average distributions each month, small businesses would face delays of around $131 million in Georgia under a month-long shutdown.
Democrats argue that President Trump is using the shutdown as a political ploy, and Republicans believe that Democrats are unwilling to put the American people first, resulting in Americans facing the brunt of the impact.
In a statement, Nick Puglia, the NRSC Regional Press Secretary, criticized Senator Ossof, arguing that "Jon Ossoff's hatred for President Trump and loyalty to his radical Democrat base is so severe that he's inflicting massive pain on Georgia small businesses, vulnerable women and children, and hard-working Georgians all to fight for free healthcare for illegal aliens."
