government shutdown

At the Kansas City offices of the Social Security Administration, Chandler McGinnis answered customer calls throughout the shutdown, without pay. She heard from parents worried about feeding their kids, and from patients denied cancer treatment after being kicked off Medicare. “It was emotionally tearing me down, because I want to fix it and I can't.”

Enhanced credits for health insurance purchased from the Affordable Care Act marketplace expire at the end of this year. If they aren’t renewed, premiums will skyrocket for many people in Kansas and nationwide.

Kansas City area school districts are connecting families with food, clothing and other resources after the federal shutdown exacerbated their financial strain.

Now that the government shutdown is over, tens of thousands of furloughed civil servants are back to work in Kansas City. But that doesn’t mean all is well. KCUR spoke with a Social Security employee who answers the 1-800 line about her experiences working without pay.

A new law capping the amount of THC included in hemp products could be “a death blow” to businesses like Plift and Emerald Med CBD that use them to create alternatives to alcohol and health supplements for doctor’s offices

Baylee Watts, the Missouri Department of Social Services' media director, said in an email that the department is working with its electronic benefits vendor to distribute full November benefits.

During the record-setting 43-day government shutdown, Missouri Republican Rep. Sam Graves said he got a lot of calls from air traffic controllers — who had to work without pay, despite already being overworked and understaffed. But another shutdown could just be a few months away.

More than 40,000 Missouri food establishments and stores are estimated to be impacted by federal regulations on hemp products, which were included in the new spending package that reopened the federal government.

President Trump signed a bill to fund the government through the end of January, ending the shutdown that has dragged on for six weeks. Missouri and Kansas Republicans voted in favor of the bill, while Democrats had voted against.

The U.S. House will vote Wednesday to reopen the government. U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, who represents Kansas City, opposes the plan because it fails to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies that would make insurance more affordable for residents.

Brittany Melugin, an IRS customer service agent in Kansas City, has been working even during the shutdown began Oct. 1. Melugin says she and her colleagues are experiencing anxiety dreams, and are afraid of taking time off even for serious medical needs.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history appears to be near an end. But weeks without paychecks and cuts to SNAP benefits put many Kansas Citians in desperate situations — and turning to local support systems like food pantries, mental health services and utility assistance programs.