Copyright hoodline
The ongoing federal government shutdown has reached a critical point for Nevadans as funding for essential services such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) dries up. KTNV reports that over 477,000 Nevada residents are set to lose their SNAP benefits unless the shutdown ends, with the USDA stating that benefits will not be distributed as of November 1. As the shutdown extends, the strain on low-income families continues to increase. Las Vegas local Derek Pitts told KTNV that having to possibly do without SNAP is "going to be hard." Pitts expressed plans to potentially seek out extra work to compensate for the lost aid. State officials have noted they are monitoring the situation, but without federal direction, the path forward remains uncertain. Food pantries in the state, already dealing with high demand, anticipate further challenges. Three Square Food Bank, which assists over 150 food pantries across Nevada, has signaled that resources are stretched thin. Beth Martino, president and CEO of Three Square, conveyed to KTNV the gravity of the situation, saying, "Our food and funding are stretched about as far as they can go right now, and it’s only going to get harder the longer this shutdown lasts." Nevada's congressional representatives have also been vocal about the shutdown's repercussions, especially on healthcare costs and federal workers' pay. According to a statement obtained by The Nevada Independent, Democrats in the delegation have urged the state's Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, to mitigate the impacts of the shutdown on SNAP recipients. In contrast, Lombardo has called for bipartisan efforts to reopen the government. Meanwhile, public concern over the potential loss of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies has led to heated exchanges between state officials. Sen. Jacky Rosen criticized the inaction on the issue, stating, "tens of thousands of people are at risk of losing their health insurance because Washington Republicans refuse to act," as noted by The Nevada Independent. At the same time, Gov. Lombardo pressured federal Democrats to work towards ending the shutdown.
