Paul Kirby reports in the Daily Freeman that almost 13,000 people living in the 18th and 19th congressional districts will go without pay if the federal government shuts down this weekend, according to the Congressional Research Service and New York Senator Chuck Schumer. He said, “We cannot afford to let the extreme fringe views of the House Republican Conference risk a government shutdown and needlessly hurt New York families.... This is not an abstract issue – If the House GOP refuses to embrace this bridge towards cooperation and away from extremism, the government will inevitably shut down, causing disruptions for millions of New Yorkers to services they rely on, while thousands of federal workers could be furloughed.” Democrats in the Senate have passed a spending plan, but House Republicans are deadlocked, with a small group of ultra-conservative representatives blocking all compromises. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Sept. 28 that he would not take up Senate legislation designed to keep the federal government fully running. He did not offer an alternative plan, so this weekend's shutdown seems inevitable. Republican Marc Molinaro represents the 19th District and, without giving details, said he has a plan, saying, "In a bipartisan government, our solution must be bipartisan, and that’s what I’m continuing to work on.” Democrat Pat Ryan, who represents the 18th District, said, “I’m pushing relentlessly to keep the government open, but extreme Republicans in the House refuse to negotiate.... They haven’t proposed legislation to fund the government and won’t vote on the overwhelmingly bipartisan Senate legislation that would avert a shutdown.... Thousands of Hudson Valley families, including active duty military personnel and postal workers, will go without pay. Millions more could go without vital services like SNAP and WIC.” Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.