In an unprecedented situation, millions of Americans could lose access to a crucial food assistance programme next week amid the federal government shutdown.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it does not have the money to pay $8 billion in food stamp benefits for November amid the funding impasse on Capitol Hill that led the government to shut down on October 1.

The agency argues it cannot tap into its roughly $6 billion contingency fund to cover next month’s benefits, though Democratic lawmakers and advocates claim the USDA should — or is even obligated to — use the money.

A federal judge yesterday indicated she will intervene in the fight over the Trump administration’s refusal to use emergency funds for the programme. Meanwhile, government workers across the country are going unpaid and finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet.

With just a few weeks until what could be one of the busiest Thanksgiving air travel periods ever, airlines are pleading with Congress to pass a continuing resolution to reopen the government, so air traffic controllers and TSA agents get paid.

Immediately after a White House roundtable with Vice President JD Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said “it is time to pass a clean CR,” or continuing resolution, which is a short-term funding bill that allows government to function when regular annual spending has not been approved.

“Let’s get a clean CR and get that negotiation done behind closed doors, without the pressure,” he said.

Earlier, Delta Air Lines released a statement calling to “immediately pass a clean continuing resolution to reopen the government so that our air traffic controllers, TSA and CBP officers charged with the safety and efficiency of our national airspace can collect the paychecks they deserve.”