The D.C. Brief

AS THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN crossed the one-month mark, the country hit two milestones that made it feel all too real for many Americans.

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On Nov. 1, food-stamp benefits dried up and open enrollment began for those purchasing health insurance for the next year, complete with steep, double-digit rate hikes. The impact stung. Some found it tougher to put food on the table, although conflicting judicial edicts suggested aid was still flowing, albeit at slower rates. Others wondered if they could still afford insurance. Many found themselves in both groups.

Neither challenge is likely to be resolved soon, and both left red states hurting the most. Players on both sides believed they were "winning" this fight and thus saw no need to reach across the aisle. The shutdown that began Oct. 1 was a major force a month later in off-year elections. "The shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans," President Donald Trump told Republican Senators at a breakfast on Nov. 5, a day after the GOP failed in races in Virginia, New Jersey, New York City, and California. "We must get the government back open soon-and, really, immediately." Many Republicans in Congress realized their constituents were being hit harder than those of the Democrats on both of these issues. It's a reality that left at least 40 million Americans watching as their meals, medical tests, and savings accounts were being pressure-tested without mercy.