Impact of the Ongoing US Government Shutdown: A Looming Crisis

The US government shutdown has entered its fifth week and there is no clear end in sight.

With Democrats and Republicans deadlocked over passing a spending plan that would reopen federal agencies, millions of Americans are feeling economic pain that could soon grow worse.

The fiscal fight means millions of Americans may not receive food aid, thousands of troops could have to work without pay, and millions may go without heat.

Here’s how the shutdown has affected everyday people.

Food assistance

More than 40 million Americans use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) to feed themselves and their families.

While that programme had enough funding to survive the first four weeks of the shutdown, the Trump administration has said the money will run out on 1 November.

By Saturday, Snap benefits, also called food stamps, could lapse for the first time in the programme's history.

Snap is a critical lifeline that keeps families out of poverty, Hannah Garth, a Princeton University professor who studies food insecurity, told the BBC.

Groups that provide food for people in need are already under strain and the loss of Snap will make the situation worse, she added.

On Thursday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency so the state could “help the three million New Yorkers losing food assistance” because of the shutdown.

People enrolled in Snap have been stockpiling food and visiting aid organisations, as they wait for the impasse to lift on Capitol Hill.

Half the states and the District of Columbia have sued President Donald Trump's administration over the food aid freeze.

The administration, in turn, has blamed Democrats for the funding running dry and said it will only draw from a Snap contingency fund in an emergency such as a natural disaster.

The federal government distributes Snap benefits through programmes run by the states.

Some states, such as Virginia, have said they will be able to make up for any lack of funds in November, but others like Massachusetts have said they can't cover the shortfall.

Military pay

If the Trump administration does not intervene, more than a million members of the US military will miss their paycheques on Friday.

About a quarter of military families are considered food insecure, and 15% rely on Snap or food pantries, according to the research firm Rand. Meanwhile, the Military Family Advisory Network estimates that 27% of families have $500 (£380) or less in emergency savings.

The Pentagon says it has accepted a $130m gift from a wealthy donor to help pay salaries during the shutdown, but that only works out to $100 for each of the 1.3 million active-duty service members expecting to be paid.

The White House plans to pay the troops on 31 October by using money from a military housing fund, a research-and-development account, and a defence procurement fund, according to Axios, a political news outlet.

Earlier this month, the administration made payroll by moving $6.5bn from military research.

More than 160 families told the National Military Family Association, an advocacy group, that they have been underpaid during the shutdown, some by hundreds of dollars and others by thousands.

Heat amid the winter chill

Around six million Americans use a federal assistance initiative called the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (Liheap) for help paying utility bills.

The government usually sends Liheap funds directly to utility companies in mid-November.

The temperature is already dropping in northern areas, where Americans heat their homes with propane, electric and natural gas.

Many states bar natural gas and electric companies from cutting off service to people who do not pay their bills, but those rules do not apply to propane or heating oil.

Experts say thousands could face deadly conditions unless the government reopens or the government finds another resolution, such as a nationwide moratorium on cutting off heat in the shutdown.

Federal civilian workers

Thousands of Americans work for the federal government as civilian employees and many of those folks will miss a paycheque this week.

It has been a slow burn for many, with the side effects of the shutdown getting worse.

Some civilian employees were able to get a week or two of compensation, while others have not seen a dollar since 1 October.

Among those going without pay beginning this week are congressional aides on Capitol Hill.

Food banks and food pantries across the US have already said they have seen an increase in the number of federal workers asking for help - particularly in Washington, DC.

If the shutdown continues until 1 December, some 4.5 million paycheques will be withheld from federal civilian employees, making for about $21bn in missing wages, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Furloughed employees are typically paid after shutdowns end, although Trump has threatened to withhold pay and is currently trying to fire thousands of workers, which is being challenged in court.

Air traffic controllers

Thousands of air traffic controllers missed their first paycheques this week.

Because they are considered essential workers, they must continue to do their jobs without pay during the shutdown. Since 1 October, numerous controllers have called in sick and now many report they are getting second jobs.

In turn, thousands of US flyers have faced widespread delays.

“The problems are mounting daily,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said at a press conference this week.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said many of the flight delays in recent days and weeks have been the result of absence by air traffic controllers.

Duffy has warned controllers could be fired if they fail to show up for work.