The government shutdown that began on October 1 has entered a 36th day, breaking the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The previous record was 35 days long and spanned from late 2018 to early 2019.
This year’s shutdown began over a Congressional stalemate over health care funds. More than a month later, it’s still unclear when lawmakers may come to an agreement.
In Northern Virginia, many are feeling the effects of the ongoing closure. Data from the White House says that, in Virginia, about 189,000 federal workers have been furloughed or are working without pay. There has been an increase of 1,200 workers filing for unemployment. And there has been a decline of $396 million of gross state product impact per week.
Food Insecurity
The shutdown also impacts some federal support systems, such as SNAP benefits. There are 825,000 SNAP enrollees in Virginia, according to White House data. The Trump administration announced last month that payments from SNAP would end November 1. Federal judges later issued rulings requiring the government to use emergency funds to keep the program running, the Associated Press reported. November payments are delayed for millions of recipients, and it’s not yet clear how much they will receive.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin launched a state-supported program called Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance to provide hunger relief to SNAP recipients during the shutdown.
Still, area food banks have seen a spike in demand from the community. One, the Haymarket Regional Food Pantry, reported a 200 percent increase in applications since the shutdown began, according to a news release.
Some nonprofits have increased their services to provide resources to federal workers, including the Capital Area Food Bank and World Central Kitchen. And many area restaurants and stores offer special discounts or free meals to federal workers during the shutdown.
Flight Delays
As air traffic controllers continue to work without pay, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that travelers could see flight delays and cancellations en masse, AP reported. The Federal Aviation Administration has already had to slow traffic to major airports due to shortages of controllers. Reagan National Airport and airports in New York, Pheonix, Houston, and San Diego have reported delays.
Museums, Parks Impacted
Recreation across the region is also seeing shutdown impacts. All Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, have closed, as have The National Gallery of Art, The National Museum of the U.S. Army, and the National Museum of the Marine Corps.
With those closures, several events have been cancelled, including the National Zoo’s Halloween events, Boo at the Zoo and Night of the Living Zoo. Some non-federally funded museums are still open.
Most national parks remain open during the shutdown, with very limited staff or visitor services. The gates to Shenandoah National Park are open. The nonprofit Shenandoah National Park Trust urged people not to visit during the shutdown, as the park is operating with very few staff members. Great Falls Park remains closed.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
