The Breathing Association, a Columbus-based nonprofit that helps 15,000 people with utility costs, faces closure due to the federal government shutdown, funding uncertainty.

The State House on Wednesday. Rhode Island is ranked fifth in public safety spending per capita and per personal income, which is 1.4 times and 1.8 times greater than that of other New England states, respectively.

The decision, in response to a lawsuit from nonprofits and cities, comes ahead of a Saturday funding cliff for the nation’s largest anti-hunger program.