Here’s how the U.S. government shutdown will impact California
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The federal government shutdown reverberated across California on Wednesday, with resulting disruptions expected to worsen the longer the stalemate lasts.
Major transportation hubs, schools and financial and medical services were not initially impacted. Employees such as air traffic controllers and airport security officials stayed on the job. And many iconic parks continued to welcome visitors.
But some federal employees who did report for duty will not be paid until congressional lawmakers reach agreement and the shutdown ends.
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In a host of federal agencies, the majority of employees are on furlough, with the Agriculture, Commerce and Education departments hit especially hard. Roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day at a compensation cost of $400 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Here is how your services could be impacted:
Airports and transportation
Major California airports are not expected to see immediate interruptions in service.
That’s because air traffic controllers and the Transportation Security Administration will still be on the job.
But the FAA said 11,000 other employees will be furloughed, according to Reuters.
Industry experts warn a prolonged shutdown could result in longer TSA lines, flight delays and cancellations.
“When federal employees who manage air traffic, inspect aircraft and secure our nation’s aviation system are furloughed or working without pay, the entire industry and millions of Americans feel the strain,” the A4A said in a statement.
TSA officials said staff is prepared to continue screening 2.5 million passengers a day, but “an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports.”
Amtrak has also said train service will continue.
Parks
As is the case for National Parks across the country, the most popular ones in California — Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Death Valley — will remain mostly open during the shutdown.
“Park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors,” according to guidance issued by the Department of the Interior on Tuesday night.
Parks that collect entrance fees, including the big ones in California, can use that money to keep the toilets clean, trash cans empty, campgrounds open and provide emergency services.
But buildings that are locked at night — like visitors centers and administrative offices — will remain locked for the duration of the shutdown, according to the Interior guidance.
Last week, a coalition of 40 retired park superintendents sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum urging him to close the gates to the parks if the government shuts down, citing the damage done during previous government closures.
“Iconic symbols cut down and vandalized, trash piled up, habitats destroyed, and visitor safety jeopardized. If you don’t act now, history is not just doomed to repeat itself, the damage could in fact be much worse,” they wrote.
Wildfires
The U.S. Forest Service will shut down activities on more than 193 million acres of land across 46 states, including at least 154 national forests, according to the agency’s most recent contingency plan.
The largest federal firefighting entity in the country will continue work geared toward responding to and preparing for wildfires, however some work related to fire prevention will be reduced, such as prescribed fires and the treatment of vegetation to reduce fire risk.
The shutdown will also see state grants and reimbursements for some forest management work delayed, along with states’ ability to train firefighters and acquire necessary equipment, according to the plan.
Other agencies that govern weather and disaster response are likely to see lesser impacts. The National Weather Service will continue to produce weather forecasts and extreme weather watches and warnings, according to the agency’s contingency plan.
“We are still operating in our core mission function and providing most of our normal services,” said Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “The things that we do for public safety will continue as normal.”
Disaster recovery
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will exempt about 84% of its employees from shutdown-related furloughs and is expected to continue to make payments on existing disaster declarations made by President Trump.
However, there is no guarantee that new or additional disaster declarations or funding will be made available. FEMA’s main funding source — the Disaster Relief Fund — is already running low and requires congressional approval for additional funds.
Notably, FEMA, the National Weather Service, the Forest Service and many other federal agencies have already experienced budget cuts, layoffs, office closures and other challenges this year as part of the Trump administration’s larger restructuring of the federal government, which it says will help save taxpayers money. It is also likely that many of this week’s furloughs will be permanent, as the White House advised federal agencies to prepare for mass layoffs in the event of a shutdown.
Veterans services
According to the VA, medical facilities and clinics will remain open and operate normally. Burials will continue as well along with various benefits and educational programs
But some services will be affected, including:
- Transition program assistance and career counseling
- Call centers closed
- Cemetery ground maintenance
- Benefit regional offices closed
- Some outreach services.
Environment
Nearly 90% of EPA staff will be furloughed; only 1,732 of 15,166 employees will report to work, according to the agency’s most recent shutdown contingency plan, issued in September.
Immediate environmental hazard work is likely to continue, but longer-term efforts such as research, permitting, writing new rules and pollution enforcement will largely freeze.
Many activities will halt, including research and the publication of research results, and the issuance of new grants, contracts and permits, according to the agency. Critically, civil enforcement inspections — on-site visits to facilities to check their compliance with environmental regulations — will also cease.
Whether cleanup work at hazardous waste areas known as Superfund sites will continue will be decided case by case.
In California, much will depend on the length of the shutdown.
Officials with the governor’s office said many California environmental programs that were funded under the Biden administration, like brownfields projects restoring contaminated sites and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, should be able to continue even if there is a brief lapse in appropriations. However, a protracted shutdown could lead to delays in new project grants or permits being issued.
“We’re going to continue to assess it depending on how long this thing goes on,” said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the California Department of Finance.
Most workers at the California EPA are employed by the state and not the federal government.
Social Security and other benefits
Social Security and other key benefits will continue to be paid.
But the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare offered some caveats:
“Customer service at the Social Security Administration (SSA) may be disrupted, including benefit verifications, earnings record corrections and updates, overpayments processing, and replacing Medicare cards,” it said in a statement. “The level of disruption will depend on how many SSA employees the Trump administration deems ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ during the shutdown. Because the administration already has brutally reduced SSA’s workforce, it’s likely that many remaining staffers will be classified as ‘essential,’ but we cannot be sure.”
The government has enough money to fund Medicaid for the first quarter of the next fiscal year, the AP reported.
Don’t worry, your postal carrier is still on the job.
“U.S. Postal Service operations will not be interrupted in the event of a government shutdown, and all Post Offices will remain open for business as usual. Because we are an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars, our services will not be impacted by a government shutdown,” the agency said.
Student loans/education
According to the U.S. Department of Education, student loans will still be disbursed and loans will still be collected as usual. Pell Grants and Free Application for Federal Student Aid will also continue. Title I money distribution will also continue.
But according to AP, the agency will stop some grant making for local schools as well as civil rights investigations.
A spokesperson for the University of California said the federal government is a key partner in educating Californians and it “urges Congress and the White House to reach an agreement to reopen the government and make robust investments in UC’s federal education, research and health care programs that are critical to the university achieving our mission and to keeping California at the forefront of innovation.”
Federal funded early learning programs such as Early Head Start and Head Start, which offers learning and development services for toddlers aged 3- to 5-years-old, remain available in the near-term.
“If a shutdown lasts more than 2-3 weeks, then we may face additional issues,” said Tommy Sheridan, deputy director of the National Head Start Assn.
A long shutdown could cause more impacts. The Office of Management and Budget has said many furloughs may become permanent.
The last time the government shut down was during President Trump’s first term as a result of stalled talks over funding for the border wall.
The shutdown started on Dec. 22, 2018, and lasted 35 days, making it the longest government shutdown in more than 40 years. It cost the United States an estimated $3 billion in lost gross domestic product, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Times staff writers Jaweed Kaleem and Jenny Gold and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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