Five ways US shutdown is hurting – and why it’s about to get worse

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.

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.

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.

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