Millions of Americans who rely on SNAP benefits were left uncertain after the Supreme Court halted a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to pay full benefits for November
The impact of the longest federal government shutdown in US history are spreading across the country, disrupting travel, threatening food aid and leaving millions uncertain about their livelihoods.
More than a thousand flights were cancelled on Friday, with thousands more delayed as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began reducing domestic flights by 4% due to air traffic controller shortages. The move affected 40 major airports, including Washington, Atlanta, San Francisco and Newark, where control towers were short-staffed.
The disruption comes amid a political stalemate in Washington, with Republicans lacking the votes to pass a funding bill in the Senate and Democrats demanding continued healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act before agreeing to any deal.
Also Read: Flying This Thanksgiving? Get Ready for Airport Chaos as Shutdown Deepens
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, said the “wheels came off” in talks with Democrats, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his party would support reopening the government in exchange for one more year of enhanced health insurance funding.
The prolonged shutdown has sparked fears of wider economic fallout. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told Fox Business that the impact was now “far worse” than expected because of its length.
“If we go another month or so, then who knows how bad the economy could be this quarter,” he said.
The travel chaos has also taken a personal toll. Alicia Leva, who was set to marry in South Florida this weekend, said flight delays had upended her plans.
“When I found out about the flight delays, I was just incredibly anxious,” she said.
Traveler Jay Curley, stranded at Newark Airport, said he had given up on flying to North Carolina and was renting a car instead.
“People are really hurting out here,” he told CNN. “It’s not just the traveling public, but it’s affecting the whole economy, and you people are to blame.”
Millions of Americans who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were left uncertain after the Supreme Court temporarily halted a lower court order requiring the Trump administration to pay full benefits for November.
A day earlier, US District Judge John McConnell ruled that the administration must issue full payments, warning that failure to do so would cause “irreparable harm.”
“People will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened and needless suffering will occur,” he said.
The US Department of Agriculture said Friday it was working to comply with the ruling before the Supreme Court’s intervention.
In Bremerton, Washington, Zacherie Martin, 35, said he and his girlfriend rely on food stamps and now fear they may go hungry.
“I’m worried if I’m going to even be able to eat at all before Thanksgiving — or at all tomorrow night, or tonight, even,” he said.
In West Virginia, Laura Bowles, a pregnant mother of five, said her family’s benefits had not been replenished this month.
“My kids eat a lot. And groceries are already so expensive these days. It was already hard,” she said. “It just feels extra hard here. And this just made things go from bad to worse. Way worse.”
Economists warn that delays to SNAP payments could hurt small grocers most severely. The programme accounted for $124 billion in retail sales last year, much of it in rural areas where stores rely on SNAP recipients for survival.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of federal employees continue working without pay.
Lisa Morales, a nurse at a military base in El Paso, Texas, said she was running out of money.
“We are not eligible for unemployment because we are still reporting to work,” she said. “I will have to look for another job this month if the government continues to be shutdown.”
At a job fair for furloughed workers in Virginia, one attendee said he had “not gotten a paycheck” and was struggling to support his young family.
A nine-year Pentagon employee said she had not been paid since early October and planned to skip holiday travel and gifts.
“I’m concerned about my car payments. I may have to take money from my retirement if my savings run out,” she said.
With no deal in sight, Senate leaders have told lawmakers to remain in Washington through the weekend — as pressure mounts for a breakthrough to end the shutdown’s deepening toll on Americans.
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