Grand Canyon remains open during government shutdown

State of play: Most outdoor national parks, including the Grand Canyon, will remain open.

The intrigue: During the 2013 and 2018 government shutdowns, former Arizona Govs. Jan Brewer and Doug Ducey had to use state funds to keep the Grand Canyon open. But a spokesperson for current Gov. Katie Hobbs told Axios the state could not afford to do so this time.

• Instead, the National Park Service will tap into unused funds to keep a limited number of rangers and employees at the park, according to a Department of Interior contingency plan.

Zoom in: More than 34,000 federal employees were working in Arizona as of last year, per the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

• Federal employees who are considered "essential" (like TSA agents and workers who oversee Social Security benefits) will be asked to work without pay. They will receive back pay after the government reopens.
• All other "nonessential" employees will be furloughed until a funding deal is reached.

Friction point: Although airport employees, including security officers and air traffic controllers, will be forced to continue working throughout the shutdown, airport operations could be affected.

• Historically, long shutdowns have led to higher-than-usual rates of workers calling out sick, forcing security checkpoint and terminal closures.

What we're watching: The White House has threatened mass firings of nonessential federal workers in the event of a shutdown.

Editor's note: This story, headline and photo caption have been corrected to reflect that most outdoor national parks, including the Grand Canyon, will remain open despite the federal shutdown.