Travel experts hope the US government avoids a shutdown A shutdown could further hurt the Las Vegas tourism industry Congress continues to work in the Capitol to avoid a shutdown of the federal government tonight at midnight EST. A sign at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, informs that its museums and the National Zoo are closed during the federal government’s shutdown in January 2019. Another federal government shutdown is looming, an event that could hamper Las Vegas tourism. (Image: Shutterstock) Congress must pass a funding bill by Oct. 1, the start of the federal government’s fiscal year, to keep the country running. As has been the case in several recent years, political gridlock in Washington, DC, has led to many short-term continuing resolutions (CRs) to keep the government running and funded temporarily. However, the federal government did shutter in 2018 for 35 days, impacting some 800K federal employees. Only hours remain before Congress must get a spending bill or CR…Read MoreCategory: Las Vegas, AGA, American Gaming Association, federal government, Geoff Freeman, government shutdown, travel, TSA, US Travel AssociationSource: Casino.org