Tips for traveling during the holidays as government shutdown continues
If the government shutdown continues over the holidays, millions of people could face flight delays and long TSA lines.
WASHINGTON – It’s unclear when millions of families will receive their November food assistance payments, even after two federal judges ruled last week that the Trump administration must pay at least a portion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program as the government shutdown continues.
Payments appear to be scheduled to stop in early November as the closure extends into another week. But federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled on October 31 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture must use $5.25 billion in contingency funds to make at least a partial payment.
The justices also said the Trump administration has the option of using certain discretionary funds to pay out the full November benefits. They gave the government a limited number of days to provide an update on what it was doing.
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Yes, Social Security payments, including Supplemental Security Income, retirement, disability, and survivor benefits, will continue during the government shutdown.
Social Security benefit programs are considered mandatory expenditures by law and are therefore not affected by the expiration of appropriations. Payments will continue to be made regularly during the shutdown.
Social Security offices will remain open during the closure, but only some services will be available.
– Sudiksha Kochi and Melina Khan
it’s complicated. TSA employees and FAA air traffic controllers are considered essential employees. Therefore, they are required to work during the shutdown even if they are not receiving a paycheck.
Although the number of delays overall is fairly low, staffing levels at some air traffic control facilities are causing problems. Earlier this month, the FAA had to delay a flight to Burbank, Calif., after the tower there was deserted for several hours in the evening.
It is important to note that not all delays during the shutdown are due to lack of funds. Regardless of what’s happening in Washington, weather remains a major factor in flight delays.
Still, in previous shutdowns, more of these essential workers started missing work, which led to longer security lines and delays at some airports.
– Zack Wictor and Kathleen Wong
SNAP is the nation’s largest food assistance program, accounting for about 70% of USDA’s nutrition assistance spending in fiscal year 2024, according to the agency.
However, there are many other food assistance programs run by the government, including:
- The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) serves at-risk children under age 5 and pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women.
- According to USDA, WIC served approximately 6.7 million participants each month in fiscal year 2024, including an estimated 41% of all young children in the United States.
- The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free school lunches to children.
- According to USDA, NSLP served more than 4.8 billion lunches in fiscal year 2024.
The impact of the government shutdown on WIC, NSLP, and other government-sponsored programs varies by program.
– Fernando Cervantes Jr. and Melina Khan
Federal Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts said in a written decision that the government must use reserve funds to the extent necessary to maintain funding for the SNAP program. He also said the government is allowed to transfer other funds derived from import fees to supplement the emergency fund.
Mr. Talwani ordered his administration to provide a timeline by Nov. 3 for deciding whether to approve reductions in benefits for at least November, and if so, whether to approve full benefits through a combination of contingency funds and other funds.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island Judge John McConnell, in a brief written in the Oct. 31 docket after the court hearing, ordered the government to allocate the reserve funds and report on the allocation by noon on Nov. 3. In response to the order, the administration filed a motion saying the judge should better explain what is needed, including the reasons.
McConnell responded in a written order on Nov. 1, saying the government must use reserve funds for at least a portion of November’s benefits, with the option of using other available funds. Mr. McConnell asked the administration to pay the full amount by Nov. 3 if it intends to use discretionary funds to make that possible. He said if the administration chooses to pay only a portion of the reserve fund, it must do so by Nov. 5.
Mr McConnell’s offer to extend the deadline for partial payments may come as the government has said that implementing partial payments in the country requires tweaks to the existing system.
Why are government offices shut down?
Most of the federal government shut down on October 1 after Congress failed to pass a new spending bill to fund the government.
The battle in Congress centered on health care. Democrats wanted a bill that would extend subsidies that lower health insurance costs for millions of Americans. The subsidy is scheduled to expire at the end of 2025.
When did the shutdown begin?
The federal government shutdown began on October 1 after Congress failed to pass legislation to continue funding government operations. Approximately 700,000 federal employees have been furloughed. Hundreds of thousands more are working without pay.
