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Early on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 1, the federal government shuttered an array of offices and services after Congress failed to pass a funding bill to finance government operations. While essential services related to national security, public safety, health and energy will continue, they could face disruptions. The shutdown will also impact a variety of services and programs.
The impasse in Congress is related to disagreements around healthcare spending. Democrats have advocated for the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, which are set to expire, making health insurance more expensive for many. While the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution bill on Sept. 19 to fund the government through Nov. 21, the Republican bill failed to pass the Senate Tuesday night. A Democrat-backed spending bill that would have extended the health care subsidies suffered a similar fate. The Senate was expected to vote on the same two bills Wednesday.
Dr. Fahd Khan, president of the Santa Clara County Medical Association, said in a Sept. 22 press conference that 17 million people could lose coverage if the tax credits expire, including 3.2 million Californians, the Mountain View Voice previously reported.
About 250,000 Californians work for the federal government, according to USAFacts, composing around 1.4% of the state’s non-agricultural jobs.
Peninsula residents could be impacted by the federal government shutdown in a variety of ways.
Social services
The Social Security website notes that Social Security payments will continue during the government shutdown. Medicare services will also continue, the department of Health and Human Services said in the shutdown contingency plan on its website.
The website of U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo, who represents California’s 16th district which includes Palo Alto, Mountain View and Menlo Park, suggests that while some services will continue, others could experience interruptions.
“For example, during the Fiscal Year 1996 shutdown, most Social Security Administration staff were initially furloughed, leading to delays in services like public inquiries and benefit claims processing, even though Social Security benefits remained funded,” Liccardo’s website says.
The Department of Veteran Affairs website says that VA medical centers and clinics will remain open and will continue to provide services during the shutdown. There are two VA medical centers on the peninsula in Palo Alto and in Menlo Park. An operator was reached by phone on the afternoon of Oct. 1, and said both centers are open and services will continue.
“VA benefits will continue to be processed and delivered, including compensation, pension, education, and housing benefits,” the federal website says.
Some VA services will halt or close during the shutdown, including career counseling, transition assistance programs, and the GI Bill hotline, the website says.
Air Travel
The government shutdown is not expected to immediately impact air travel, but disruptions are more likely the longer the shutdown continues.
KQED reported that a TSA spokesperson said that staff “are considered excepted or exempt and TSA will continue operations to keep the travelling public safe,” but some staff could be temporarily furloughed. Some airport staff like air traffic controllers and customs agents who are required to work without pay because of the shutdown may be more likely to call in sick, resulting in longer wait times, KQED reported.
National Parks
The National Park Service released a contingency plan Tuesday night detailing which parks and services will remain open. Some parks and facilities in the Bay Area will be closed during the shutdown, according to the website, including Muir Woods National Monument and China Beach. At some sites such as the Presidio and Ocean Beach, either the parking lot, headquarters or restroom facilities will be closed.
“Park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors,” the plan says. “At parks without accessible areas, the NPS will not operate parks during the lapse.” According to the plan, over 9,000 of the 14,500 NPS employees will be furloughed, with the remaining 5,000 “essential” workers expected to work without pay.
KQED reported that the NPS contingency plan arrived last minute. Park superintendents were only informed Tuesday about which sites would remain open, giving staff little time to plan for the shutdown.
SLAC Accelerator
The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy lab operated by Stanford University. According to the DOE’s website, it does not anticipate disruption to operations during a government shutdown that lasts up to five days, but some staff may be affected by closures that last longer than that.
“DOE has historically had sufficient previously appropriated funds that remain available to support operations during a short term lapse,” their website says. It notes that federal employees in offices with funding for salaries will continue to report to work, but a prolonged lapse in appropriations may require subsequent employee furloughs.
It’s unclear whether SLAC could be impacted if the shutdown lasts longer than five days. A SLAC spokesperson directed media inquiries to the DOE, who did not provide information specifically about SLAC.
California Education Department and Stanford University
The Education Department shared a message saying staff is evaluating the potential impact of the shutdown, but did not anticipate any immediate disruption to state-level operations.
A spokesperson for Stanford University said the university did not expect disruptions to the delivery of federal student financial aid. Stanford also shared a message saying it expects guidance from each federal funding agency indicating what the shutdown means for the university. Based on the guidance from previous shutdowns, Stanford officials said they expect research from existing grants to continue on its current trajectory, and the university should be able to draw down funds for these grants during the shutdown period.
New awards, renewals, amendments and the submission of new proposals will not be approved or evaluated during the duration of the shutdown. Stanford expects interruptions to communication with federal agency staff since some staff are likely to be furloughed.
City governments
Meghan Horrigan-Taylor, chief communications officer for the city of Palo Alto, said in an email that the city does not anticipate any immediate significant local impacts from the government shutdown, but added that the city expects that grants administration will cease in the short-term.
Horrigan-Taylor also said that the Palo Alto Airport does not anticipate any short-term effects from the shutdown.
“The Palo Alto Airport has a [Federal Aviation Administration]-operated air traffic control tower at the field,” Horrigan-Taylor wrote. “The controllers are considered essential workers, and we have been told their work would not be affected by the shutdown.”
Lenka Wright, chief communications officer for Mountain View, said the impact of a federal shutdown depends on how long it lasts and which federal services are affected.
“A short shutdown may not be felt much locally, but if it drags on, it could delay federal funding, slow down projects, and disrupt State of California and County of Santa Clara programs like nutrition assistance or Head Start,” Wright said in an email. “That would increase the need for local services. Right now, the City of Mountain View isn’t waiting on major reimbursements.”
Public Engagement Manager for Menlo Park Kendra Calvert said that the city has been notified by the Federal Government to expect delays in processing grant payments due to the current shutdown.
“Our services will proceed as normal, and we will continue to monitor any potential impacts of the federal government shutdown,” Calvert said over email.
