What could happen during a government shutdown

The Federal Government may be headed toward a partial shutdown. President Trump and the Democrats are in a stalemate over funding for a southern border wall.

If Democrats can’t come to an agreement over the President $5 billion demand for a border wall, he is threatening to shut down the government on Dec. 21 at midnight which could have a potential effect on Idaho.

Idaho has roughly 14,000 federal employees that account for about $800 million in income that could be lost according to the Idaho Department of Labor. The last time a shut down happened it cost roughly 1.5 billion dollars a day nationally. Why? Government funds in some cases are placed on hold.

While Yellowstone National Park, along with the rest of the national park system, is expected to remain open in the case of a government shutdown, visitors centers at the facilities probably won’t be. That is of course unless Congress and the White House put aside their differences over funding before Dec. 21.

The Idaho National Laboratory would see a significant impact because it is operated by the U.S. Department of Energy and makes up 9,000 employees in the Southeastern Idaho region.

Three things you don’t have to worry about are the U.S. Postal Services since they don’t receive any tax funds for their operations.

Second, TSA officers will be screening airline passengers but may have to wait for their paychecks.

Third, For the military and veterans, VA disability payments, Survivor Benefits Plan payments, and retiree payments would all be made because those funds also come from non-annual appropriations.

However, the Social Security Administration would get hit during a shutdown. Many employees would be placed on furlough. After the 2013 furlough, Congress has voted to pay back employees.

One thing we need to keep in mind should we see a shutdown, there is no timeline for how long it could last. Out of the 18 shutdowns since 1976, the longest was 21 days during the Clinton administration.