Government Shutdown: What's Next for Workers, Parks, and Travel?

The government is back in action after a record-breaking shutdown. But don't expect everything to snap back immediately. Around 1. 4 million federal workers have been without pay for over a month. Half of them had to work without getting paid, while the other half were sent home. The good news is that they will get their back pay, but it might take a few days. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps about 42 million Americans put food on the table, is back on track. But the shutdown caused a lot of confusion and even legal battles. Some people got their full benefits, others got only part, and some got nothing. Now that the government is open again, SNAP is restarting, but it's not clear how quickly everything will get back to normal. The Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are slowly reopening. Some places, like the National Museum of American History and the National Air and Space Museum, will open on Friday. The rest will follow by Monday. Air travel is still a mess. The shutdown caused a shortage of air traffic controllers, leading to delays and cancellations. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had to reduce flights at busy airports. Even though the government is open again, it will take time to fix the problems. National parks were open but understaffed during the shutdown. This means they had less security and fewer services. The National Parks Conservation Association says it could take months to fix the damage. Parks also lost millions in entrance fees, which could delay projects and services. The government is funded until January, but another shutdown could cause more problems.