ATLANTA — The nation’s longest-ever federal government shutdown could finally come to an end as lawmakers in Washington prepare for a critical House vote that could restore funding after 43 days of closures and delays.
Recently, the U.S. House Rules Committee voted along party lines to advance the Senate-approved short-term funding package without any amendments. The measure, which would keep the government funded through January, is expected to go before the full House Wednesday afternoon.
Democrats had pushed to include extensions of Affordable Care Act tax credits, but the committee rejected that proposal during a seven-hour overnight session. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats plan to “press the case” for those credits in future debates, while Republican Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana expressed optimism that the funding plan will pass.
“I think that this bill will go across the finish line,” Houchin said. “We’ll get the government reopened and start paying our federal workers, our air traffic controllers, and hopefully things will get back to normal very quickly.”
IMPACT ON GEORGIA AND AIR TRAVEL
Georgia has more than one million residents who rely on SNAP food assistance, along with thousands of unpaid federal employees, who have been among those hit hardest by the shutdown. The White House estimates it has cost Georgia more than $450 million a week in lost gross state product.
At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, frustration continues to mount as staffing shortages and flight reductions have caused major delays and cancellations. One traveler told reporters, “I will never travel again. If I travel again I will drive because I don’t trust any airports anymore.”
Dr. Laurie Garrow, an aviation expert and professor at Georgia Tech, said even if the shutdown ends Wednesday, recovery will take time.
“It’s not exactly like flipping a switch and everything gets back to normal,” Garrow said. “When you’re running an airline that has extensive operations, there are a lot of moving parts that have to get back in line.”
She estimates it could take a couple of days for airlines to return to regular scheduling, comparing it to Delta’s five-day recovery from the CrowdStrike outage last year.
FURLOUGHED WORKERS AND SNAP BENEFITS
According to ABC’s Jay O’Brien, once the measure passes, roughly 750,000 furloughed federal workers will return to their jobs and receive back pay. Essential workers who continued to work without pay will also be compensated, and SNAP payments are expected to resume for over a million Georgians.
Garrow said she believes the air travel system could stabilize in time for the Thanksgiving holiday, just two weeks away. “I think we’re back to being worried about the normal things, not the abnormal things,” she said, referring to routine weather-related travel delays.
The House is expected to begin debate around noon, with voting anticipated after 4 p.m. — a move that could finally bring the 43-day shutdown to an end.
WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons contributed to this story.