Americans worry about next meal as shutdown enters second month

What started as a Washington sideshow has led to the implosion of public services

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The US government shutdown barrelled towards its second month on Oct 31 and the pain is spreading fast - with federal workers broke, food aid under threat and millions of Americans caught in the crossfire.

What started on Oct 1 as a Washington sideshow has morphed into a slow-motion implosion of public services and a growing economic convulsion, with federal offices dark and President Donald Trump’s government stuck in neutral.

Republicans have warned that millions will begin feeling the full force of the shutdown for the first time this weekend, as unresolved fights over funding for healthcare and food stamps make them hungrier and poorer.

“Most people haven't noticed up until this week. Thanks to Donald Trump finding a way to pay our troops last month, that pain was delayed,” Republican House Whip Tom Emmer told Fox News.

“But, starting this week... this is starting to become very real.”