
FILE - President-elect Donald Trump listens to Elon Musk as he arrives to watch SpaceX's mega rocket Starship lift off for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Nov. 19, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP, File)
After President-elect Donald Trump rejected a bipartisan resolution to avert a shutdown of the federal government ahead of a Friday deadline, Nevada officials say many federal workers could be forced to work without pay during a busy holiday travel season.
A looming government shutdown instigated by President-elect Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk could cause lengthy delays ahead of what’s anticipated to be a record-busy holiday travel season and temporarily freeze access to federal nutritional programs for thousands of Nevada residents.
House lawmakers on Thursday failed to pass a new deal that Trump endorsed earlier in the day, less than 24 hours after he abruptly rejected a bipartisan spending measure meant to keep the government open temporarily until lawmakers could reach an agreement on a more sprawling package in the new year. That bill would have maintained funding for government agencies at their current levels as well as provided more than $100 billion in disaster relief, but Trump urged House negotiators and the Biden administration to include new provisions to raise the nation’s debt limit, according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s rejection came after Musk, the world’s richest man who spent hundreds of millions this campaign cycle to help Trump win the presidency, went on a multi-post tirade on his social media website X demanding that Republicans walk away from the bill (and promised political retribution for any Republican lawmaker who went against his wishes). Trump has tapped Musk with leading an effort to reduce government spending, an initiative Musk is calling DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency.
The AP reported on Thursday that Republican US Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said GOP lawmakers are moving forward with a new plan that is expected to be voted on later in the day. Cole didn’t give specifics of the potential deal or say whether Democratic lawmakers would agree on the framework, according to the Associated Press. It was unclear Thursday whether the bill had enough support from lawmakers to pass.
Lawmakers have until midnight Friday to reach a new deal before the existing funding agreement expires. If not, the federal government would enter its first shutdown since 2019. On Thursday, several members of Nevada’s federal congressional delegation urged colleagues to find a way to avert a shutdown.
“A government shutdown would devastate Nevada families, furlough federal workers, and disrupt critical services,” Nevada US Rep. Steven Horsford, whose district includes North Las Vegas and several rural counties upstate, posted on the social media website X. “I reject chaos. I’m fighting for solutions that put people over politics, keep the government working for YOU, and deliver results for Nevada and the entire country.”
An online tool launched by Democrats on the House Committee on the Budget suggests tens of thousands here in the Silver State would be impacted in some form:
- More than 490,000 Nevada residents on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and roughly 53,000 Nevadans signed up for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are at risk of losing benefits, depending on how long a potential shutdown lasts.
- Nearly 16,000 active duty and reserve personnel serving at one of Nevada’s several military installations would be forced to go without pay during a shutdown. Roughly 17,000 other federal workers would be furloughed or work without pay. That doesn’t include vendors or contractors that work with federal agencies.
- Access to many of Nevada’s federally-operated recreation sites, like Red Rock National Conservation Area, Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and others, could be partially or fully restricted.
- Federal loan programs run by the Small Business Administration, the US Department of Agriculture, and others would be put on hold, and US Food and Drug Administration food safety and pharmaceutical inspections would be halted.
Social Security and Medicare benefits will continue through a shutdown because spending on those programs is mandatory, and the US Postal Service would also run without interruption, according to the AP.
But included among the federal workers who would be forced to work without pay are agents from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). During previous shutdowns, many TSA agents called off from work en masse, causing long lines at airport security checkpoints in travel hubs like Las Vegas and around the US.
A 2019 law ensures backpay is provided to those who work during a shutdown, but a glut of call-outs could cause delays for what’s expected to be a record holiday travel season. The American Automobile Association (AAA) expects a record 7.85 million passengers nationwide to travel by air this holiday season, surpassing the previous record of 7.5 million set last year.
Traffic at Harry Reid International Airport is expected to surpass 50,000 visitors per day, and AAA further notes that Las Vegas is anticipated to be among the cities with the highest demand for rental cars during the holidays.
“The government shutdown Republicans are threatening would greatly impact holiday travel,” Nevada Democratic US Rep. Dina Titus posted to X Thursday. “Millions of fly through US airports, including [Las Vegas], would face potential delays and safety concerns because of the staffing impacts on @TSA agents & air traffic controllers.”
Trump’s ask to raise the debt ceiling reportedly came as a surprise to many lawmakers, many of whom are closely allied with Trump and have previously spurned negotiations to raise the debt limit, or the limit imposed by lawmakers specifying how much the US can borrow.
Last year, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by fellow conservatives from his leadership post after reaching an agreement with President Joe Biden to raise the debt ceiling.
Meanwhile, some conservative House lawmakers have mused whether to ouster McCarthy’s successor, Republican US Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana, in favor of Musk.
House rules state a speaker does not need to be a sitting member of Congress.
“I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House,” Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus previously critical of raising the debt ceiling, posted on X. “The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.”

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