How the looming federal government shutdown could affect the Bay Area

"The threat of an imminent government shutdown this week is growing more real as it becomes increasingly unlikely that Congress will pass a stop-gap government funding bill to avert a shutdown by today's deadline. How we got here: Two weeks ago, House legislators approved a short-term spending bill to fund the government through Nov. 21, but Senate Democrats are blocking the measure."

"A report based on 2024 estimates by the House Budget Committee found that the federal government employs more than 187,000 Californians, making up about 1% of the state's total workforce. That ratio is roughly the same in the Bay Area, said Jeff Bellisario, executive director for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. According to state labor data, about 12,500 federal workers lived in Alameda and Contra Costa counties as of August, down from 13,300 a year earlier."

"The government decides which federal workers are designated essential which means they are expected to continue to work at their job despite the fact that they're not going to get paid, said Christopher Thornberg, the founding partner of economic research firm Beacon Economics. Much of it depends on exactly what [jobs] Trump decides to call essential versus non-essential. Usually, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget determines that distinction."

An imminent federal government shutdown is growing more likely as Congress remains unlikely to pass a stop-gap funding bill before the deadline. The House approved a short-term spending bill to fund the government through Nov. 21, but Senate Democrats are blocking it while seeking added provisions, including subsidies for Affordable Care Act premiums that expire at year end. A House Budget Committee report finds the federal government employs over 187,000 Californians, about 1% of the state's workforce. State labor data show roughly 12,500 federal workers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties as of August. The administration will decide which workers are deemed essential, affecting shutdown impact.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org