Insights | U.S. government shutdown deepens impact on travel and livelihoods: economist warns
(ECNS) – The U.S. government shutdown has entered its 38th day, the longest in the nation's history. The situation has become a nightmare for millions of Americans who might not be able to feed their families, said Dean Baker, co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, during an interview with China News Network.
The American economist warned that the U.S. aviation system would face more potential chaos with the Thanksgiving holiday around the corner.
On Wednesday, the ongoing shutdown broke the previous record of 35 days set between late 2018 and early 2019.
Baker told China News Network that originally, the U.S. government shutdown did not have very much effect on the country, but now it is taking a growing toll on the U.S. air traffic control system.
"Many controllers who are not being paid, have been forced to take other jobs and are not showing up for work. This is slowing air travel, which will be a huge deal soon as we have our Thanksgiving holiday in three weeks," he added.
It has also caused concern and hardship for millions of American people, especially recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.
"42 million people are no longer getting food subsidies. This is a nightmare for them (people can't feed their families). It is also likely to lead to a chaotic situation for grocery stores and food distributors in many areas. They will see a large part of their market disappear," Baker explained.
Data shows that nearly 42 million people — or about 1 in 8 Americans — received food stamps. However, the food aid program has lapsed for the first time in its 60-year history, according to Reuters.
Baker noted that the U.S. has experienced shutdowns in the past decades, during which both parties had real differences but they also recognized the need for compromise. However, in this case, "that recognition does not seem to be there with the Trump administration and the Republicans."
In his view, the Republicans "are mostly to blame in that they have not approached the deadlock in good faith".
In order to streamline government and expand its own executive power, the U.S. administration wanted to use the "government shutdown" to advance large-scale layoffs of federal employees and closure of agencies related to the Democrats, according to U.S. media.
The Democrats also have their own calculations. The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) noted the standoff has become a messaging battle, with each party betting the public will blame the other.
"The stakes are especially high for Democrats, now out of power and searching for a unifying fight to rally around ahead of pivotal 2026 midterm elections,"the PBS wrote.