LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As he stood near the main entrance of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area's scenic loop Monday, tourist Vince Barnes paused to think about the looming deadline for a partial federal government shutdown.
"We need the government to function," said Barnes, a resident of Washington state who came to Nevada specifically to see Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park. "If I were here after it shut down, after having driven two straight days, that would have cost me a lot of money and a lot of time."
Luckily for Barnes, he'll be gone by Saturday, when a shutdown could begin, but a lot of disruption would be caused.
Whether or not an interruption does happen remains to be seen as lawmakers in Washington, D.C., continue to battle it out over federal budget allocations.
SCRIPPS: What are the chances of a government shutdown?
The deadline for a solution is Friday at midnight. As of Monday, there was a lot of skepticism that new House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, could broker a deal.
The spending stalemate from just over a month ago ended up costing former Speaker Kevin McCarthy his job.
"Government shutdowns are a relatively new phenomenon," says Rebecca Gill, an associate professor of political science at UNLV. "We've had about 10 of them that have impacted the working of the federal government, and all of them have been since 1980."
Gill says she doesn't know how this week will play out, but she expects the D.C. situation to get "messy."
Some federal agencies — like the U.S. Postal Service and the FBI — wouldn't be affected, but the ramifications could be far-reaching.
TSA workers, for example, would be furloughed, though they would be required to stay on the job. Working without pay, however, could lead to mass call-ins, leading to longer airport security lines just ahead of the busy holiday season.
Brad Zucker, owner of financial firm SMA Wealth Management, says a shutdown would impact the Southern Nevada economy.
"We have a lot of federal workers here both in Henderson and Las Vegas," Zucker says. "If they are forced not to go to work and don't collect a paycheck, you're going to see them curtailing their spending, and rightfully so."
As with other federal budget fights in recent years, a solution — likely another temporary fix — could come before the deadline hits, but there seems to be growing concern that a shutdown could happen and last days or weeks.
