What adds to this despicable situation is that the people responsible for this impasse have a lifestyle significantly above those placed in jeopardy, have rarely lived from paycheck to paycheck, and have never experienced the hardship of an unexpected expense without emergency savings. While they may claim to understand the difficulties of their constituents (in the rare case that they once experienced poverty), they are so far removed from it, they no longer understand the impact their inaction has.
Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck. There may be many reasons for this: inadequate pay, a serious illness, downsizing at work, unexpected hardship.