What a government shutdown would mean for Minnesota residents
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
An impending federal government shutdown could impact services and pay for thousands of Minnesotans as soon as this weekend.
Driving the news: Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government. Deals can — and do — come together quickly, but it's not looking good.
The big picture: If a government shutdown takes place, federal functions deemed non-essential could be suspended, affecting health programs, government assistance, Food and Drug Administration inspections, and small business loans, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes.
- Paychecks will be paused for all federal employees, whether they're deemed essential or not.
Zoom in: About 17,000 Minnesotans are employed by the federal government, per the Star Tribune. Hundreds of thousands more rely on federal aid programs.
Zoom out: Mail delivery, Social Security payments, and health care for veterans and Medicare and Medicaid recipients will continue across the nation.
- Commercial air travel will also continue, though TSA and air traffic controllers will be working without pay, which could lead to staffing issues if people decide not to show up for work.
Yes, but: The Small Business Administration, the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Agriculture will stop processing some new loans, per a memo from the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, an advisory arm of congressional Democrats.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding will continue through October, but a federal program that offers food aid and other services to low-income mothers would be reduced immediately.
- The Social Security Administration would pause benefit verifications and earnings record corrections and updates, and Medicare would be unable to send replacement cards.
Plus: National parks facilities that require staff, including restrooms, visitors' centers, and campgrounds, would be paused during a shutdown.
- That could mean reduced access and services at Voyageur in northern Minnesota.
What we're watching: Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday that while Minnesota is less dependent on federal workers than many other states, his administration is looking at ways the state government might be able to step in to keep impacted benefits flowing.
- "At this point in time, my pledge to Minnesotans is just to make sure that [for] these essential services, there will be no gap," he told reporters, noting that a shutdown could also slow the state's efforts to secure a variety of federal grants.