(MENAFN- Live Mint) Flight disruptions could worsen as the United States government shutdown enters its Day 23 on Thursday, October 23, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Republican leaders in Congress warned. They said air traffic controllers have now missed their first full paycheck, raising concerns about staffing shortages and potential safety risks across the nation's aviation network.

According to reports, some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work without pay during the government shutdown. Controllers will miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday as the US government shutdown continues.

Last week, Sean Duffy said that since the shutdown began, more than half of flight delays – 53 per cent – were due to air traffic controllers being absent, compared with just 5 per cent under normal circumstances.

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Meanwhile, some US states including Minnesota, California, Pennsylvania and Texas this week warned food aid recipients that their benefits may not be distributed in November if the federal government shutdown stretches further due to lack of funding. Also Read | How this 2025 shutdown has become second-largest in history

According to the reports, the warning to food aid recipients have been issued to over 20 states as they flag the the lack of benefits to more than 41 million people who get aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the nearly 7 million who receive aid from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, Reuters reported.

Minerva Delgado, director of coalitions and advocacy at the Alliance to End Hunger, said,“Families are going to be hurt by this should it continue, at a time we know families are struggling to make ends meet.”

Apart from flagging the gaps in the issuance of food stamps, some states also warned about potential food stamp cutoff deadlines and some pointed aid recipients to food banks.

“SNAP benefits for November won't be issued if the federal government shutdown continues past Oct. 27,” Texas Health and Human Services Commission website read. Also Read | Inside Donald Trump's 2025 US government shutdown: What's different this time?

“We encourage everyone who receives SNAP to familiarize themselves with the free food resources in their community and to make a plan for what they will do if they do not receive their food benefits in November on time,” read the Oregon Department of Human Services press release.

(With agency inputs)

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