Editor's note - Dec. 20, 2024: This article ran in September 2023, on the precipice of an ultimately averted government shutdown. Agencies' latest contingencies plans project similar responses in the event of a shutdown — national parks will be closed, active-duty military and Transportation Security Administration personnel will work without pay and those getting assistance through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children could see their benefits run out quickly. The government will shut down at 9 p.m. PT on Dec. 20 if Congress cannot reach a deal to fund the government.

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Original story - Sept. 30, 2023

With a last-ditch funding deal out of reach in Congress, the government will officially shut down at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, grinding the machinery of many federal agencies to a halt.

Though Nevada is thousands of miles from the Capitol, the impacts of a shutdown will be felt from small businesses in Las Vegas to public lands in Northern Nevada. Home to thousands of active-duty military and veterans, a significant population on food assistance, and a major international and domestic travel hub at Harry Reid International Airport, a government shutdown is expected to take a toll on Nevada — particularly if weeks or even a month goes by without a deal.

The impacts of the shutdown, by category, are laid out below.

Military

During a government shutdown, active-duty service members are considered essential employees — and therefore are expected to work without pay. Civilian military employees, on the other hand, should expect to be furloughed, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said in a call this week with reporters. (Federal employees including service members will receive back pay once a shutdown is over.)

Many of those civilian employees work on contract management, Kirby said, meaning active-duty service members will be charged with taking on that additional work and new or extended Department of Defense contracts will be delayed until a government funding bill is passed. 

Nevada, which has to two Air Force bases, a Navy base and an Army depot, is home to 12,200 active-duty service members who will go unpaid during a shutdown, according to the White House. 

Travel

Nevada’s congressional Democrats are especially concerned with delays in travel to and from Las Vegas.

Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees are considered essential, and thus are still expected to show up to work — without pay. In Nevada, which has a disproportionately large federal airport workforce relative to its size, the White House projects that 1,504 TSA officers and air traffic controllers will have to work unpaid. In previous government shutdowns, wait times and delays at airports increased.

Air traffic controller training will also be paused.

In a Wednesday press conference, Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) said she is concerned about that pause in training affecting future events in Las Vegas, including the upcoming Formula One race in November and the Super Bowl in February.

Health care

While the federal Department of Health and Human Services will furlough 42 percent of its staff, essential personnel are still in place to support the delivery of Medicare and Medicaid services. While those benefits have funding in place that will continue during the shutdown, the lack of staff could contribute to some administrative problems, including delays in payments to hospitals and providers or in providing replacement Medicare cards.

But Nevadans relying on these programs should not expect any delays in their ability to receive medical services.

Food assistance

Nevadans’ ability to access federal food assistance funds may depend on what program they use. 

For the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said the department has enough funds to continue paying out benefits through the end of October. If the shutdown lasts longer than that, SNAP benefits could become imperiled.

A spokesperson from the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said currently approved SNAP households will receive benefits as usual between October 1 and 10, but it is awaiting further guidance about how to handle new approvals during a shutdown.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) is a different story. WIC recipients have electronic benefit cards that are loaded with federal money that, unlike SNAP, are not guaranteed to last for the month — and a shutdown means the department cannot deliver new or additional funds. WIC is a food assistance program for low-income mothers who are either pregnant or have children under 5.

In Nevada, the White House said there are 52,976 WIC recipients — 11,585 women, 29,239 children and 12,152 infants — whose benefit cards would not be funded during a prolonged shutdown.

A spokesperson for the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) said the department’s biggest concern is keeping WIC clinics open and in service. WIC benefits are projected to be available “through early October,” and the department will communicate any changes to recipients via text, the WIC website or the WIC Shopper app.

Public lands

The National Park Service (NPS) announced that its parks and other federally managed lands will be closed for the duration of the shutdown.

In Nevada, visitors can expect that Great Basin National Park’s visitor center and facilities will be unavailable, and that park staff will not provide updates on trail or road conditions — though areas that are physically accessible to the public by nature and cannot be blocked off will remain accessible.

The shutdown is also expected to close services at other Department of Interior-managed areas including the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

The Bureau of Land Management — which manages wide swaths of Nevada’s vast public lands — will be furloughing more than three-quarters of its staff. In its contingency plan, the BLM said its employees who work on fire preparedness, wild horse and burro management, law enforcement, energy inspections and emergency services will continue to work.

The BLM will close visitor centers on public lands, unless they are operated by a third-party contractor, and visitor services such as restroom cleaning and trash pickup will be done on a case-by-case basis. But public lands, including the national conservation areas around Las Vegas, will remain accessible, and the BLM will instruct staff to post signs about whether or not facilities are closed.

Leases and permits on BLM land still apply, though no new special recreation permits or energy leases will be issued throughout the duration of a shutdown. 

The BLM cautioned that those with existing reservations on public lands should still consult recreation.gov to learn if their reservation will be honored because of staffing levels. Refunds will be made available once the shutdown is over.

Social Security

Beneficiaries will still receive Social Security checks during a government shutdown, although furloughs could lengthen wait times for customer service.

Veterans

Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics will remain open and serve patients. However, VA Secretary Denis McDonough has said regional VA offices will close and services such as career counseling and small business help will not be available.

Small businesses

The Small Business Administration will stop processing new applications, and existing loan applications will be stuck in limbo. The White House projects that nearly $1.47 million in financing will be delayed, on average, to Nevada businesses each day.

Disaster relief

As the Federal Emergency Management Administration runs out of money, long-term recovery projects will pause as only the most critical disaster relief efforts are prioritized during the shutdown.

In Nevada, the White House says three recovery projects will be delayed. In the Disaster Relief Fund’s most recent appropriations report, Nevada was listed as having active projects for COVID-19 recovery efforts.

Around the Capitol

• Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) paid tribute to the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on the Senate floor on Friday, the day Feinstein died. Emotional at times, Cortez Masto recalled how kind Feinstein was to new senators, inviting her to dinners in which Feinstein would always have flowers and parting gifts for guests. She also acknowledged Feinstein’s leadership on protecting Lake Tahoe, including founding the Tahoe Summit in 1997.
• The SAFER Banking Act, which would open banking tools to cannabis businesses in states where they can operate, passed out of the Senate Banking Committee in bipartisan fashion. Cortez Masto voted to advance the bill.
• The Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded $1 million to the Reno Housing Authority for homeless veterans — a grant Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) had been pushing for.
• Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) introduced a bill to reimburse federal employees, state governments and tribal governments for expenses incurred during a government shutdown. Although employees receive back pay, Horsford’s bill would ensure they also receive recompense for fees or other expenses they have to pay out of pocket for budget items they typically receive federal help for.
• Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sam Brown is fundraising off his support of Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)’s hold on military promotions over the Department of Defense’s abortion policy — a move highlighted by the campaign of his potential 2024 opponent, Rosen.
• Cortez Masto introduced a bipartisan bill to ensure veterans’ military service counts towards the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which forgives student loans for people who have worked in the public sector for 10 years.
• The Department of Commerce awarded $1.3 million to Las Vegas’ Historic Westside for redevelopment on Jackson Avenue, once known as the Westside Strip.
• Horsford introduced legislation to create a tax credit for “regionally significant” electric transmission lines. NV Energy’s proposed Greenlink transmission projects run through his district.
• Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) introduced a bipartisan bill to create an internal grant for disability advocacy organizations through the State Department.

Notable and Quotable:

“Dianne never took credit for anything she did around this lake. Even though people wanted to recognize her and show that support, she never took the credit. She said this is about a team.”

— Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), in a tribute Friday to the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and her work on creating the Tahoe Summit

Legislative Tracker

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

Legislation sponsored:

S.2917 — Rural Water System Disaster Preparedness and Assistance Act

S.2949 — A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to complete a data matching agreement with the Secretary of Education in order to ensure individuals who are current or former active-duty military service members or civilian employees and are otherwise eligible for assistance under the public service loan forgiveness program have their periods of employment automatically certified and counted towards the public service loan forgiveness program.

Legislation co-sponsored:

S.2927 — A bill to amend the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to increase tribal access to water conservation and efficiency grants, and for other purposes.

S.Res.377 — A resolution recognizing Hispanic Restaurant Week and the contributions of Hispanic restaurant owners and employees to the restaurant industry.

S.Res.382 — A resolution recognizing the month of October 2023 as Filipino American History Month and celebrating the history and culture of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions to the United States.

JACKY ROSEN

Legislation co-sponsored:

S.Res.377 — A resolution recognizing Hispanic Restaurant Week and the contributions of Hispanic restaurant owners and employees to the restaurant industry.

S.Res.378 — A resolution expressing support for the recognition of the week of Sept. 25 through Oct. 1, 2023, as "Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Week."

S.Res.382 — A resolution recognizing the month of October 2023 as Filipino American History Month and celebrating the history and culture of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions to the United States.

DINA TITUS

Legislation co-sponsored:

H.R.5735 — To require information about the motor vehicle plant in which vehicles are assembled for federal procurement, and for other purposes.

H.R.5757 — To amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to extend certain certification periods for the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children, and for other purposes.

H.R.5775 — To ensure greater equity in federal disaster assistance policies and programs by authorizing an equity steering group and equity adviser within the Federal Emergency Management Agency, improving data collection to measure disparate outcomes and participation barriers, requiring equity criteria to be applied to policies and programs, and for other purposes.

H.R.5800 — To authorize the imposition of sanctions to combat the mass abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia and areas of Ukraine that are temporarily occupied by Russian forces, and for other purposes.

MARK AMODEI

Legislation co-sponsored:

H.Res.726 — Supporting the designation of the week of Sept. 25 through Sept. 29, 2023, as "National Clean Energy Week."

H.R.5720 — Jimmy Deal Trafficking Survivors Assistance Act of 2023

SUSIE LEE

Legislation sponsored:

H.R.5720 — Jimmy Deal Trafficking Survivors Assistance Act of 2023

Legislation co-sponsored:

H.Res.726 — Supporting the designation of the week of Sept. 25 through Sept. 29, 2023, as "National Clean Energy Week."

H.R.5721 — Rape Kit Backlog Progress Act of 2023

H.Res.736 — Expressing support for the recognition of Sept. 25, 2023, to Oct. 1, 2023, as "Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Week."

H.R.5803 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish a tax credit for installation of regionally significant electric power transmission lines.

H.R.5810 — To provide back pay to federal contractors, and for other purposes.

H.R.5819 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide incentives for behavioral health integration under the Medicare program.

STEVEN HORSFORD

Legislation sponsored:

H.R.5758 — To amend title 31, United States Code, to reimburse employees of the federal government and the District of Columbia, federal contractors, and the states for certain costs incurred as a result of a government shutdown, and for other purposes.

H.R.5803 — To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to establish a tax credit for installation of regionally significant electric power transmission lines.

Legislation co-sponsored:

H.R.5757 — To amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to extend certain certification periods for the special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children, and for other purposes.