The chances of another federal government shutdown rose after many Senate Democrats said they would oppose a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

As some federal workers are still working to recover from the historic government shutdown near the end of 2025, another shutdown could be just days away. Economic experts say projections for Las Vegas tourism in 2026 are looking stronger than last year, but a second federal shutdown could quickly reverse that momentum and place renewed strain on thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers in the valley.

Las Vegas is experiencing a continued decline in visitor numbers, impacting the hospitality sector, which employs one in four workers in Southern Nevada.

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) right around the corner, the hospitality industry is already gearing up for the two-day event after last summer’s economic slump.

Forecasters from the residential real estate world — Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com — have all put out their 2026 projections and it looks like much of the same. Mortgage rates aren’t expected to drop enough next year to unlock the country’s housing market, new builds will continue to lag and prices will remain relatively elevated.

After a whirlwind 2025 for the Las Vegas economy, stabilization is expected for some industries, at least for the first six months.

Brian Bonnenfant is one of Nevada’s data experts forecasting a not-so-bright future – dependent on how and when Nevada businesses react. That being said, not all of Nevada is in a downturn. Making more resilient communities are a focus for Andrew Woods as the director of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER).

A recent report from the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, projects that the city will host 40.1 million visitors in 2026, representing a 2.4 percent increase over 2025.