Who is affected in a government shutdown? How would a shutdown affect Arizona?
Congress has hit an impasse over how to fund the federal government.
If the members don't come to an agreement by Sept. 30, parts of the federal government will shut down starting Oct. 1.
If the government partially shuts down, here's how it will affect Arizona and the nation.
Who is affected by government shutdown?
Federal agencies except those that are "essential" such as the U.S. Postal Service, Medicare and Social Security will shut down if Congress doesn't agree on a funding plan.
More than 2 million members of the military would be expected to continue working, according to the Defense Department contingency plans, though they would not likely be paid until a shutdown ended.
Who gets paid during a federal shutdown depends on which agency they work for. There are about 2 million civil, federal workers. During the last shutdown, about 800,000 of them were furloughed. Each shutdown is different based on which, if any, bills Congress passes to fund the government and how agencies handle the funding interruption.
Arizona has nearly 60,000 federal employees, according to the state Office of Economic Opportunity, though not all of them would be out of work in a shutdown because essential services like Border Patrol would stay on the job.
In prior shutdowns, other critical workers such as those in air traffic control, federal law enforcement and power grid maintenance have been classified as essential, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan nonprofit.
Some workers could be asked to stay on the job without pay, while others would be sent home. All federal workers would be expected to be provided back pay once operations resume, thanks to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 that former President Donald Trump signed into law after two shutdowns during his presidency.
The law requires back pay and leave accrual for federal employees affected by a government shutdown furlough. But people who work for companies that contract with the federal government don't have the same protection and might be out of luck.
Congress members and the president continue to work and receive pay through a government shutdown.
Transportation Security Administration agents were forced to work without pay during a 2018-19 shutdown, which caused delays because some declined to shop up for work.
During previous shutdowns, Arizonans could not access the Internal Revenue Service office in Phoenix, but a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act passed last year appears to ensure the IRS will continue to operate in a 2023 shutdown.
What happens with Social Security and Medicare during a shutdown?
Beneficiaries would still get their checks. However, verification of benefits and mailing new cards would stop in a shutdown. About 8,500 out of about 62,000 workers in the Social Security Administration would be furloughed, according to the administration's contingency plan.
Will there be a government shutdown?
Each passing day without a breakthrough deal makes a shutdown more likely. Congress each year must pass 12 bills that set out funding for government operations.
Congress can buy itself more time by passing what is called a continuing resolution that allows the current funding for the government to remain in place while they work out those bills. But that's not happening, either.
A small group of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, including members of Arizona's delegation such as Republicans Andy Biggs and Eli Crane, have been holding things up in hopes of reducing government largess.
The likelihood they succeed in getting what they want is small. Their wish list includes reduced funding for Ukraine, more money on U.S. border security, an overall decrease in spending and to defund the federal prosecution of Trump, who is running for re-election while facing four criminal indictments.
The budget must go through the Senate, which has a Democrat majority that is unlikely to fund any of those things other than the overall spending cut Democrats agreed to earlier this year when negotiating the national debt.
There's a couple of things that could happen to prevent a shutdown. More moderate Republicans could choose to negotiate with Democrats to fund the government. Or a tougher process known as a discharge petition could be used to get around the Republican majority.
What does a government shutdown mean?
A shutdown simply means that Congress has not agreed on funding for the government. It is a different issue from sequestration, where discretionary spending is reduced.
When will the government shut down?
Without some breakthrough in negotiations, the shutdown could begin Oct. 1.
When was the last government shutdown?
The most recent government shutdowns happened in 2018 and 2019 under Trump and in 2013 under then-President Barack Obama.
The 35-day partial shutdown that ended in January 2019 was the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, and it arose over a dispute between Trump and Democrats over funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The shutdown ended when Trump relented on his insistence for $5.7 billion for spending on a border wall.
The approximately three-day shutdown in January 2018 arose over a dispute about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy.
The October 2013 shutdown lasted 16 days and had roots in a debate over funding for the Affordable Care Act. It caused about 850,000 government workers nationwide to go without paychecks, although they were paid retroactively when they returned to work.
Will the Grand Canyon stay open in a shutdown?
Previous shutdowns have kept visitors out of national parks or resulted in damage to parks that operated with minimal staff.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has said that the state will fund operations to keep the Grand Canyon open should the government shut down in 2023. Other states are looking at similar measures, including Utah, which also derives substantial revenue from tourists at its national parks.
Reach reporter Ryan Randazzo at ryan.randazzo@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4331. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @UtilityReporter.
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