LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history continues into its 42nd day, hundreds of Southern Nevadans have now gone weeks without SNAP benefits.
The shutdown is also affecting air travel, with thousands of flights delayed and canceled nationwide amid air traffic restrictions and staffing shortages at airports across the country.
For the first time in nearly two months, House lawmakers are gathering in Washington for floor votes. They're poised to consider a stopgap funding bill, which the Senate passed earlier this week.
If it becomes law, the government will reopen on a short-term basis and furloughed workers will return to their jobs. However, officials warn that even when the government reopens, a return to normalcy won't be immediate.
An end to the shutdown would restore SNAP benefits for the month of November, but it's unclear when the millions who rely on the program would actually receive them.
Anyssa Bohanan breaks down what we know so far:
At airports, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that air traffic restrictions will remain in place until regulators are satisfied that staffing is back to normal levels.
Officials say that it will likely take several days for airline flight schedules to bounce back.
Here's the latest:
Six percent of flights were canceled at dozens of the busiest airports in the country on Tuesday. If the shutdown continues, cuts to air traffic could go up once again to eight percent on Thursday and 10 percent on Friday.