Local effects of federal government shutdown limited — for now

The federal government is shut down after Congress failed to pass a measure Tuesday to temporarily fund the government, and while short-term effects seem to be limited, the shutdown could cause a disruption of major services down the road.

Every shutdown is different, and their effects depend on how long they last. The last shutdown in 2018-2019, which lasted five weeks, cost about $3 billion in lost GDP, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Over 750,000 federal employees will probably be furloughed across the country with a daily total cost of about $400 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

It’s unclear how many of the 22,000 federal workers in Nevada will be idled, according to Linda Ward Smith, the vice president of the Nevada chapter of the AFL-CIO and local president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 1224.

The Trump administration has also said layoffs could occur, which could affect Nevada’s federal employees, Ward Smith said.

Gov. Joe Lombardo said in a statement his administration will support Nevadans in any way it can throughout the shutdown. His finance office will provide a comprehensive assessment of the shutdown’s impacts on Nevada, a state already grappling with a decline in tourism and continuing to recover from a cyberattack.

The governor’s office said that while the federal government is shut down, the state of Nevada is not. Public safety and emergency services will not experience disruption. Regular unemployment benefits, road projects and maintenance and other services will continue, according to the governor’s office.

Also, Lombardo’s office noted that federal Social Security payments will continue.

Here’s what Nevadans need to know about the effects of the shutdown.

1. Air travel could be delayed, but not yet.

Travelers may see some delays at Harry Reid International Airport, such as long TSA lines or flight delays.

Security lines at Harry Reid International Airport were operating smoothly Wednesday, the first day of the government shutdown.

Late Tuesday, Reid International officials on X cautioned passengers with early flights to prepare for possible delays, adding that Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Authority employees, including air traffic controllers, are considered essential workers and would report to work as scheduled.

Lines leading to screening areas in the C and D gates had waiting of about five minutes as multiple agents helped passengers finding their way to their proper lanes. In the A and B gates, there was a steady flow of passengers through the maze of lines.

During previous shutdowns TSA officers called in sick, creating a workforce shortage.

“Our federal partners (TSA) will continue operations as we’ve previously announced, but we’ll continue to monitor it,” a Reid spokeswoman said Wednesday. “Right now, things are operating normally, but we still encourage passengers to arrive at the airport early to avoid any possible delays.”

2. Nevada parks with fee collections will remain accessible.

Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area remained open Wednesday morning, with cyclists and sightseers alike entering the area. Lake Mead National Recreation Area will also remain open, according to Max Dotson, a spokesperson for the recreation area.

The visitor center at Lake Mead was open early Wednesday morning, but its doors were locked and closed before 11 a.m. Visitors could still enter the recreation area as of Wednesday morning.

As the sun rose to illuminate Red Rock Canyon, hikers laced up their boots before hitting the trails and a park ranger hoisted an American flag up its pole in front of the visitor center.

The area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, an agency in the U.S. Department of the Interior. The BLM is expected to furlough around 4,000 of its roughly 9,250 employees, according to the bureau’s shutdown contingency plan.

Employees inside the visitor center said the area could stay open by tapping into special funds such as those collected from entrance fees but did not specify how long these funds could keep the area open.

According to the National Park Service’s contingency plan for the shutdown, parks with accessible areas that collect fees will use those recreation fees to provide basic visitor services, such as maintaining restrooms, collecting trash, and operating campgrounds.

Park roads and trails will generally remain accessible to visitors, according to the National Park Service.

During the 2018-2019 shutdown, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area faced intermittent closures and had no Bureau of Land Management employees available to clean bathrooms, remove trash or maintain trails.

Visitor centers at wildlife refuges such as Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge will also be closed, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

3. Medicare and Medicaid payments will continue with possible delays.

Medicare and Medicaid payments will continue, but individuals on disability can expect to see a delay in payment processing, according to Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.

In the longer term, doctors and hospitals could see delays in Medicare and Medicaid payments.

Healthcare.gov, the health insurance marketplace, continues to allow people to apply for and access health care coverage.

4. Veterans health services will continue.

Nevada’s Veterans Affairs medical centers and clinics will remain open and continue to provide all of its services, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. VA benefits such as compensation and pensions will also continue to be processed and delivered.

The VA, however, will halt providing transition program assistance and career counseling and close its VA benefits regional offices. Its GI Bill and National Cemetery Applicant Assistance hot lines also will be closed.

5. SNAP recipients will receive benefits this month.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, said in its shutdown plan that it will continue administering nutrition safety programs, subject to the availability of funding.

SNAP recipients are expected to receive their October payments. But if the shutdown extends for a long period of time, SNAP funding could be depleted, and food aid could be delayed.

Over 500,000 families in Nevada benefit from the SNAP program, and around 57,000 people benefit from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infant and Children, according to Elisa Cafferata, Executive Director of Children’s Advocacy Alliance.

During shutdowns in the past, the WIC program remained operational.

6. The school district is unaffected in short-term.

The Clark County School District said Wednesday that while the shutdown will not immediately affect the district’s services or employees, nearly 1,800 staff members whose positions are supported by federal funding could be at risk if it drags on too long.

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X. Richard N. Velotta and Spencer Levering contributed to this report.