How the federal shutdown is affecting Washington state
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The federal government shutdown will be felt by Washingtonians in ways large and small, state officials said Wednesday, with the impacts expected to grow if the impasse continues.
The big picture: Washington is home to nearly 80,000 federal workers, many of whom "will be furloughed, temporarily laid off, or forced to work without pay through a shutdown," Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a written statement.
- The state Employment Security Department is "prepared to help federal workers find resources they need" until the government reopens, Ferguson added.
Catch up quick: The shutdown began Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a short-term spending measure by a midnight Tuesday deadline.
- A key issue is whether to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies — a top Democratic demand in exchange for Democratic votes to fund the government.
Zoom in: As the shutdown continues, one vulnerable service is the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, which helps about 212,000 Washingtonians each year access food and health services.
- WIC benefits are still flowing for now, but the state Department of Health says it will have to fully close the program after one or two weeks if a government funding deal isn't reached.
- Starting Oct. 6, the health department will also have to temporarily lay off or reduce hours for about 50 workers whose jobs are fully or partly funded with federal dollars, the agency said in a news release.
The big picture: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments typically continue during a shutdown, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.
- However, verification services and issuance of new Social Security cards may be delayed.
- SNAP payments generally continue, though delays are possible depending on the shutdown's duration.
National parks remained open Wednesday, but a notice on the Mount Rainier National Park website warned that "some services may be limited or unavailable."
- The Department of Interior's contingency plan said that some park areas may close if visitor access becomes a "safety, health or resource protection issue."
For travelers, flights will continue operating as normal, but staff shortages could lead to delays or cancellations, reports Axios' Julianna Bragg.
- More than 13,000 air traffic controllers are expected to work without pay, per the Department of Transportation's shutdown plan.
What's next: Republicans need to persuade seven Democratic senators to vote for their spending plan to end the shutdown.
- If they can't, this could go on for a while.