With the federal government closed as of Oct. 1, some of its operations in Oklahoma are interrupted, but others will continue as normal for now.
"Should the harmful government shutdown continue, certain critical programs that Oklahomans rely on could see significant disruptions, like the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program," Congressman Frank Lucas said in a statement. "Furthermore, new loan and disaster assistance payments will not be processed."
Lucas and his fellow Congressional Republicans are criticizing Senate Democrats, who rejected a continuing resolution that would have kept the government funded.
State House Democratic Leader Cyndi Munson said federal Republicans bear the blame.
"This shutdown will not only cost taxpayers but cost the livelihoods of thousands of federal employees as well as those who rely on federal services," Munson said in a statement. "The truth is this: Republicans control the White House, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House–it is their job to govern, which includes reaching across the aisle to create a budget that works for everyone."
Below is a breakdown of services the federal government provides in Oklahoma, and what we know about how the shutdown affects them. For more information on how this funding lapse affects tribal governments based in Oklahoma, please visit this link.
Travel
Will Rogers International Airport is operated by the Oklahoma City Airport Trust, not the federal government. But operations there rely heavily on federal workers.
"Ultimately, the issue for us directly at the airport is staffing the checkpoint," Oklahoma City Airports Director Jeff Mulder said. "So that's what we would expect could be an issue if this continues. But for the moment, things are running operationally normal."
Many federal workers at Will Rogers are considered critical employees. That means Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration personnel will be expected to work during the shutdown, but their pay will be delayed.
When the federal government closed for 35 days in late 2018 and early 2019 — the longest shutdown in U.S. history — many airports brought in food and other social services for federal workers struggling with deferred paychecks.
Mulder said OKC Airports will try to ease the burden for federal workers at Will Rogers, but staffing impacts could arise if the shutdown drags on.
"That's when we would get involved and generally tell people to make sure they give themselves extra time coming through Into security in order to mitigate some of those impacts," he said.
Oklahoma's Heartland Flyer Amtrak route, which runs between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, will remain in operation.
Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will continue some operations, but more than 42,200 employees are expected to be furloughed, according to the USDA contingency plan.
This comes as the agency has already reduced its workforce. As of July, more than 15,000 workers have accepted the Trump administration's offer to resign.
In an email, Scott Blubaugh, president of American Farmers & Ranchers/Oklahoma Farmers Union, said it's bad timing. Blubaugh said he's concerned fewer USDA employees would impact program delivery and services to producers.
"We've seen previously what a reduction in staff can do to USDA and we are already seeing increasing impacts based on the shutdown that occurred last night," Blubaugh said. "We've already heard from AFR members who were midway through loan applications that are now on hold. And, that's just in time for fall planting and fall stocker cattle purchasing."
Certain farm loan processing items and conservation programs are expected to continue during the lapse. Essential food safety operations like inspections and laboratory work, along with animal and plant health emergency programs, including new world screwworm and highly pathogenic avian influenza, will also continue.
Other agency activities, such as payment processing, disaster assistance processing, research and report publication, timber sales, trade negotiations and technical assistance, will cease.
Blubaugh said the two issues with the biggest impact on the state's producers are the lack of access to credit and pausing payment distribution.
During this time, he said farmers and ranchers unable to access credit through the USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) while they are planting wheat and buying stocker cattle for fall pasture is a negative side effect of the shutdown.
"Many farmers who use the FSA for operating loans will not have access to their money and will not be able to pay pending balances or make future purchases," Blubaugh said. "Young, beginning farmers who are trying to get a new loan established with the FSA will see their applications put on hold."
Because of the lapse, he said producers could lose opportunities to purchase land or further their operations in other ways.
Food assistance
Large food assistance programs are also housed in the USDA. In the department's contingency plan, officials note that the core food assistance program will continue during the lapse as long as funds are available.
These services include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program and Child Nutrition programs.
Oklahoma has a more complex system for administering programs than most states, said Chris Bernard, president and CEO of Hunger Free Oklahoma, an anti-hunger advocacy group.
"So we have the state and then the tribes, and they could find themselves in very different circumstances just because of the way resources get allotted," Bernard said. "So that's one challenge, right?"
As far as funding, Bernard said, when compared to SNAP, WIC is under a greater immediate threat due to the shutdown. He said the funding for SNAP is secured through the end of the month. He said there are unknowns for WIC because it depends on the administrator.
"If you're a SNAP recipient who thinks you may not get benefits in November, you're going to change the way you spend and you eat in October, right? To try and stretch resources," Bernard said. "You may try and go to a pantry earlier in the month in order to stretch one month's worth of benefits across two (months)."
That could put pressure on charitable organizations or lower the amount spent at local grocery stores. He said SNAP alone is worth more than $100 million a month to the state's economy.
He said that if more workers do not receive a paycheck, people might rely on assistance to make ends meet, putting more pressure on the system.
Bernard said it's important for people not to panic.
"So if you are on WIC, you should really contact the administering agency of your WIC program, so whether that's a tribe or the state, to understand where your benefits sit," Bernard said. "If you're on SNAP, know your SNAP benefits are going to get paid in October."
Tourism
Although it is a designated affiliate of the National Park Service, the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum is privately funded and will remain open throughout the shutdown, according to a press release. But park rangers will not be available to interpret the outdoor monument. The Memorial and Museum will offer free admission for federal employees during the shutdown.
The Wichita Wildlife Refuge in Southwest Oklahoma is one of nearly 600 refuges operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service across the country. Those facilities will be closed to the public, with minimal staff in place to protect refuge lands, wildlife and property, according to shutdown contingency plans from USFW.
Oklahoma is also home to the Chickasaw National Recreation Area and parts of four national historic trails. Although KOSU was unable to reach anyone with the Recreation Area, the National Park Service plans indicate park roads and trails will remain accessible throughout the shutdown, although indoor facilities will be closed and staff will be minimal.
What's not affected?
IHS will continue its operations because it has advance appropriations.
Veterans hospitals and benefits will remain operational.
Payments from SoonerCare and other Medicare/Medicaid programs will continue.
According to the Department of Commerce's contingency plan, National Weather Service operations will continue 24/7.
Postal operations will continue without interruption.
Sarah Liese contributed to this report.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
