Five ways US government shutdown is hurting – and why it’s about to get worse

The US government shutdown has entered its fifth week and there is no clear end in sight.

With Democrats and Republicans deadlocked over passing a spending plan that would reopen federal agencies, millions of Americans are feeling economic pain that could soon grow worse.

The fiscal fight means millions of Americans may not receive food aid, thousands of troops could have to work without pay, and millions may go without heat.

Here’s how the shutdown has affected everyday people.

Food assistance

More than 40 million Americans use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) to feed themselves and their families.

While that programme had enough funding to survive the first four weeks of the shutdown, the Trump administration has said the money will run out on 1 November.

By Saturday, Snap benefits, also called food stamps, could lapse for the first time in the programme’s history.

Snap is a critical lifeline that keeps families out of poverty, Hannah Garth, a Princeton University professor who studies food insecurity, told the BBC.

Groups that provide food for people in need are already under strain and the loss of Snap will make the situation worse, she added.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c74jden8ddxo