What a federal government shutdown would mean for Minnesota

With less than a week until Christmas and Minnesotans anticipating holiday plans, a shutdown of the federal government is suddenly looming after a bipartisan temporary spending plan appears to have fallen apart.

Eyes are on Washington after House Speaker Mike Johnson released a 1,500-page spending plan late Tuesday that was quickly panned by President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk and a growing number of Trump’s Republican allies in Congress.

Thursday morning, Congress was in disarray, and it was unclear if another compromise would surface before the current government funding plans lapse.

If a funding bill is not in place by 12:01 a.m. Saturday, nearly 17,000 Minnesotans who work for the federal government could be told not to report to work Monday — or if they have to, they won’t get paid.

A shutdown could have a dramatic impact on one of the busiest travel weeks of the year. TSA workers and air traffic controllers are required to work without pay, but during previous shutdowns unscheduled absences increased.

The U.S. Postal Service is funded through a different revenue stream so mail shouldn’t be affected. Recipients of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and disability insurance should continue to receive benefits.

Federal medical facilities and clinics should remain in operation, and forecasting from the National Weather Service will continue.

Federal workers have often received back pay after a shutdown ends, but the promise of a catch-up paycheck doesn’t pay for last-minute Christmas presents right now.

Minnesota National Guard personnel in active duty status still have to report to work to maintain military operations, but part-time members and their units will not conduct previously scheduled training, drills or exercises during the shutdown.

More than 300 corrections officers at four federal prisons across Minnesota will be working without pay. Minnesota’s four federal district court offices would also operate as usual.

While most government benefits will continue, things like benefit verification letters, updates to earnings records and replacement of Medicare cards will have to wait until the government reopens.

The state’s one national park — Voyageurs in northern Minnesota — along with several national monuments and other sites could temporarily lose staff, but closures are decided on a case-by-case basis. The same applies to national forests, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, as well as other federal lands, including national wildlife refuges.

About a year ago, Congress narrowly averted a shutdown during a spending standoff in the House. The last time government spending lapsed and there was a partial shutdown was in December 2018 over disagreements about funding Trump’s wall on the border with Mexico.

The partial shutdown lasted 34 days, the longest on record, but it didn’t affect the entire government because Congress had already passed some spending bills.