The federal government shut down. How does it affect SLO County?
The federal government shut down at midnight Tuesday after Congress failed to strike a deal on funding, leaving vast numbers of federal workers across the country either furloughed or working without pay.
Essential services like mail, Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security checks and airport travel will likely remain in place — though with potential delays — but other services may be affected as federal workers like food inspectors and park rangers are temporarily unable to work.
Moreover, President Donald Trump has indicated he may pursue more mass layoffs during the shutdown, permanently downsizing the federal workforce even after the shutdown comes to an end. The last shutdown took place under Trump’s first term and lasted for 35 days — the longest in over four decades.
How will this shutdown impact San Luis Obispo County?
So far, the SLO County Regional Airport has said its day-to-day operations will continue on as normal, but a number of federal offices in the county may see impacts in the coming days or weeks, depending on how long the shutdown lasts.
As for ending the shutdown, that is up to Congress to come to an agreement on the health insurance subsidies that are stalling negotiations.
U.S. House and Senate Democrats are demanding that Affordable Care Act tax credits set to expire at the end of the year be included in a funding bill, but Republicans — who control all three branches of government — want to continue the previous funding package without modifications for another seven weeks.
Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, says millions of Americans could lose their health insurance if the tax credits are not protected in a stopgap bill.
“As of today, the federal government is shut down because Donald Trump and Republicans chose chaos over governing,” Carbajal said in a news release. “Democrats came ready to negotiate a bipartisan deal to keep the government open and lower health care costs, but Trump and Republicans refused.”
“Republicans control the House, Senate, and White House — this shutdown is their mess,” he said.
SLO County Regional Airport
Day-to-day air travel will not be affected during the federal shutdown, the SLO County airport said in a news release on Wednesday. Essential federal safety functions, including air traffic control and TSA security screening, will continue uninterrupted.
However, the shutdown could impact federal funding for long-term infrastructure projects if prolonged.
SLO County director of airports Courtney Johnson said travelers should not expect immediate disruptions at the airport, but the situation will be closely monitored and updates will be provided if the circumstances change.
“While the shutdown underscores the challenges we face, it also highlights the resilience of our airport team and federal partners who continue to prioritize passenger safety and service,” Supervisor Dawn Ortiz-Legg said. “We remain committed to ensuring that the Central Coast stays connected to the world.”
Veterans services
As it does not receive any federal funding, SLO County’s Veterans Services Office will remain fully operational, department officer Morgan Boyd told The Tribune. Neither the outpatient clinic nor vet center in SLO will be impacted.
However, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs announced a number of care and assistance programs that Boyd said “will unfortunately impact some of our community’s most vulnerable veterans.”
The department informed Boyd that:
- The VA will not provide veteran career counseling or transition assistance program activities.
- The GI Bill Hotline will be closed.
- VA regional benefits offices will be closed.
- The VA will not permanently place headstones or maintain the grounds at VA national cemeteries.
- The VA will not process applications for pre-need burials.
- VA will not print new presidential memorial certificates.
Veterans benefits will continue to be processed and delivered, including compensation, pension, education and housing benefits. Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries, and applications for headstones, markers and burial benefits processing will continue.
Social Security and Medicaid
Social Security and SSI payments will continue during the government shutdown, according to the voicemail of the SLO Social Security office.
Offices will remain open to the public with limited services, including the ability to:
- Apply for benefits
- Request an appeal
- Change address or direct deposit information
- Report a death
- Verify or change citizenship status
- Replace a lost or missing Social Security payment
- Obtain a critical payment
- Change a representative payee
- Make a change in living arrangement or income (SSI recipients only)
- Obtain a new or replacement Social Security card
As for Medicaid, the government only has enough money to fund the program until the end of the year, AP reported.
Other federal government offices in SLO County
Government employees deemed non-essential by the Trump administration may be furloughed during the shutdown, which often includes national parks employees.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture has offices in Templeton and Santa Maria. The following notice was posted on the website on Wednesday:
“Due to the radical left democrat shutdown, this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel and clothe the American people.”
The same message was posted on the U.S. Forest Service website, which manages the Los Padres National Forest.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management runs the Carrizo Plain National Monument and Piedras Blancas Light Station.
“Because of the federal government shutdown, blm.gov is not being updated and the agency will not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted,” the website indicated, directing people to www.doi.gov/shutdown for more information.
