OLYMPIA — As lawmakers in the other Washington scramble to avoid a partial federal government shutdown, leaders in Washington state are assessing the fallout that could hit home including the potential disruptions to health care and food assistance programs and uncertainty for thousands of federal workers.
Federal agencies are funded through Sept. 30, so Congress must pass a stopgap funding measure by midnight to avert a shutdown on Wednesday, Oct. 1. But a partisan impasse has puts that deadline in doubt, raising the risk of nationwide disruptions.
If no deal is reached, Washington state could feel the impacts across multiple sectors. State agencies, nonprofits and lawmakers are preparing for possible interruptions and funding gaps.
Political deadlock in D.C.
Last week, the House passed a continuing resolution — a temporary spending measure to keep the federal government funded through late November. Senate Democrats pressed for a shorter-term measure tied to negotiations over key issues like expiring health subsidies. With 60 votes needed to advance legislation, the Republican-controlled Senate can’t act without Democratic support.
The standoff has led to familiar finger-pointing.
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., told The Seattle Times he had “done his job” to prevent a shutdown by voting for the clean resolution and urged Senate Democrats to do the same. He accused them of using “partisan threats” that risk delaying essential taxpayer services.
Democrats, on the other hand, say Republicans are responsible because they refuse to negotiate on sticking points like expanding health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.
“Democrats are ready — at any time and any place — to negotiate a bipartisan funding bill that prevents a government shutdown and prevents people’s health care costs from skyrocketing,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., in a statement.
The last federal shutdown, under President Donald Trump in 2019, lasted 35 days — the longest in U.S. history — and cost the government an estimated $5 billion.
What’s at stake in Washington state?
Meanwhile, state leaders find themselves trying to figure out what this all means for Washingtonians.
In a statement, Gov. Bob Ferguson said his office is “monitoring the situation closely and working with the state’s Office of Financial Management and state agencies to prepare for a potential shutdown.
Ferguson has been out of the office since Thursday and is not set to return to Washington state until Oct. 9.
Here are just some of the ways a federal government shutdown could impact Washingtonians.
Social services
Local nonprofits and assistance providers, many already worried about the ramifications of Trump’s spending and revenue bill are bracing for the worst with a looming shutdown.
“Government shutdowns are never good for people who rely on the federal and state government to cover their basic needs,” said Marcy Bowers, executive director of Statewide Poverty Action Network.
She said the Trump administration’s handling of federal assistance programs — including deep funding cuts, stricter eligibility rules and the mass firing of workers overseeing such programs — has made it already harder for providers to plan ahead. A shutdown could compound that instability.
“It’s an added layer of heartache and heartbreak that people with low incomes navigate all the time,” Bowers said.
In Washington, over 920,000 people — a third of them children — receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to help buy groceries. More than 315,000 rely on the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program each year in Washington. A prolonged shutdown could delay these benefits.
“You could easily see the results of a government shutdown affecting well over a million to 2 million Washingtonians, and probably more the longer that it goes on,” said Jeff DeLuca, executive director of Washington State Community Action Partnership, which represents local assistance agencies.
If the shutdown lasts beyond a few weeks, he said, nonprofits and community groups may face difficult choices: continue offering services and hope for reimbursement later, or suspend programs altogether until there is funding.
DeLuca also raised concerns about a memo from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget advising federal agencies last week to prepare for possible layoffs. “When you have those cutbacks, that means it takes longer and longer for states and communities to actually access the funding that Congress passes,” he said.
Federal workers
About 76,000 federal employees work in Washington state, according to the latest data from the state Employment Security Department. In the 2019 shutdown, nearly 400,000 federal employees nationwide were furloughed.
If a shutdown occurs, ESD said it will operate as normal and provide support to affected workers, including guidance on applying for unemployment benefits.
“We’ll be there to assist and support impacted federal workers if there is a furlough or reduction in force,” said Chris Barron, a spokesperson for ESD.
More information, he said, will be available Wednesday if a shutdown occurs. Federal employees will be able to access benefits by going to ESD’s website regarding rules for federal workers when applying for unemployment benefits.
The state Department of Health said it may need to “temporarily lay off or reduce work hours” for about 50 employees whose positions are fully or partially funded by some federal dollars. Contractors, including tribes, local health agencies and nonprofits, that carry out much of DOH’s work may also be affected.
State agencies won’t be affected equally
Although there are still many uncertainties as the deadline approaches, some Washington agencies say they may not be as impacted as others. Some agencies say they can weather a short shutdown without major disruptions.
Adolfo Capestany, a spokesperson for the state Department of Social and Health Services, said there are no anticipated impacts on essential programs, staff, contracts or grants for the first 30-days of a federal government shutdown.”
Others, like the Washington state Department of Transportation, said they are watching closely and “will continue working with federal and Congressional partners if a shutdown takes place.”
The Washington state Department of Transportation also expects to avoid immediate impacts. “During past federal government shutdowns, we continued to be reimbursed for weekly and monthly highway and transit project requests,” said Stefanie Randolph, acting communications director for WSDOT. Programs like aviation and freight have enough state funding to continue operations for now.
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