Aside from a few gnawing doubts in such areas as food stamp programs and foreign airports, the government is ready for Y2K, lawmakers said Monday. Most important now, they said, is to avoid public panic.

Rep. Stephen Horn, R-Calif., who closely follows the Y2K computer problem, said air traffic control systems are among those with work still to be done, but he emphasized that flying will be safe on Jan. 1. The Federal Aviation Administration said all its systems are fully Y2K-compliant.