Thousands of government employees have been furloughed, and in just a few days, thousands of Tennesseans will not receive SNAP benefits. | WBIR Channel 10

Following the Fed's decision to cut interest rates for the second time this year, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged economic damage wrought by the government shutdown — but downplayed its enduring impact. Read more: https://abcnews.visitlink.me/JZsjcG | ABC News

The government shutdown is now in its 30th day — and tensions in Congress are rising, though bipartisan talks have been ongoing. Republican leader Sen. John Thune and New Mexico Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Luján sparred in the Senate chamber Wednesday, after Sen. Luján and other Senate Democrats introduced a bill to fully fund nutritional programs like WIC and SNAP. Sen. Thune said Republicans who have voted to reopen the government want those programs to be funded when the government opens back up: