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How Does Government Shutdown Impact the Bronx?

With a partial federal government shutdown underway, there will be some changes in service should it continue, but at least two Congressional representatives will be open during the interim.

Congressman Adriano Espaillat, whose 13th Congressional District covers Norwood, will have his Fordham office open as he and congressional members attempt to hammer out a spending bill without President Donald Trump’s pledge for a $5 billion border wall.

Espaillat’s district office at 2530 Grand Concourse by East 190th Street, will reopen from Dec. 27 through Dec. 29 before closing once again. It will reopen Jan. 3 following observance of the New Year.

Meantime, a spokeswoman for Espaillat said under no circumstances will he vote for a spending bill that includes funding for a border wall, which he absolutely opposes.

Espaillat’s colleague in the House of Representatives, Congressman Eliot Engel, who represents the north Bronx and parts of lower Westchester County, will also have his office doors open as the shutdown continues. Engel’s office at 3655 Johnson Ave. and 177 Dreiser Loop, both in the Bronx, will operate without any disruption, according to a spokesman.

Staffers, tasked to handle constituent services, won’t see a paycheck until the federal government reopens.

“There’s a lot of New York City residents who right now just found out they will not have a paycheck for the holidays and potentially weeks more,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio in an impromptu press conference Dec. 22. “Those folks are hurting right now.”

One of the biggest threats during the government shutdown will be suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that need to be disbursed for Bronx families sometime after January. Roughly 1.6 million New Yorkers depend on food stamps.

For now, the shutdown will have little effect for the Bronx. But de Blasio told reporters the effects will be felt even more as it continues.

“We have enough cash flow to get us a few weeks. But if it goes a month or more we’re going to have some very tough choices to make,” said de Blasio.

 

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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