How the government shutdown could disrupt San Diego
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
The government shutdown is underway, and it's slated to disrupt the lives of many San Diego County residents, from active-duty military personnel to TSA agents and university researchers.
Why it matters: Nearly 200,000 local military and federal employees are now working without pay, facing furlough or could lose their jobs as the White House threatens mass firings.
Zoom in: The shutdown will make it "harder for military families to make ends meet when they already struggle to afford housing and child care and put food on the table," Rep. Sara Jacobs warned in a virtual press conference Tuesday.
- About 40,000 service members and their families visit local food banks every month, and "that number will go up," she said.
- With San Diego having one of the highest concentrations of active-duty military and federal personnel in the country, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank is preparing for a surge in demand, CEO Casey Castillo told Axios.
Follow the money: Federal employees would miss their first paycheck on Oct. 24, per NPR. For the military, it would be Oct. 15.
- Yes, but: A law passed during the 2019 shutdown allows federal workers to automatically receive back pay once funding resumes.
- All Department of Veterans Affairs compensation, pension and housing benefits continue to be processed, but there could be delays to some services.
The big picture: Generally, federal functions deemed "essential" — including health programs, new Social Security and Medicare actions, SNAP benefits and FDA inspections — don't pause during a shutdown.
✈️ For travelers, flights will continue operating but could be delayed or canceled if air traffic controllers and TSA agents working without pay call in sick. And airports are already dealing with staff shortages.
- Passport renewal processing could be delayed.
🌳 California's national parks will remain open, but with limited or no staff.
- That includes Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego and Joshua Tree National Park, which saw serious destruction during the 2019 shutdown.
💰 Payments for Social Security, Medicare and SNAP benefits typically continue during a shutdown, but verification and new card issuance could be delayed. But some some seniors on Medicare have lost telehealth and home care services.
📬 Mail will still be delivered as USPS doesn't receive taxpayer funding for operating expenses.
⚖️ Federal judiciary courts are expected to continue operating through Oct. 3, per the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. However, if the showdown goes past that date, courts may have to limit their work.
📊 Access to key taxpayer-funded government data is also restricted, including data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau that measures progress on key issues and drives major business and investment decisions.