Federal shutdown would affect many NH programs

Sep. 26—If a looming federal government shutdown takes effect this weekend, it could close White Mountain National Forest facilities and services for the opening of the fall foliage season, create delays for air travelers and impact food programs and childcare.

Fallout in New Hampshire from what would be the first shutdown since 2018 would be felt in all kinds of areas that fall under the 28% of federal spending classified as "discretionary."

Entitlement programs and already-approved dedicated spending would not be affected. Seniors would continue to receive Social Security and Medicare, veterans would get their benefits and the U.S. Postal Service would be open and fully staffed.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., spent Monday making stops at nonprofit organizations and government contractors who would be affected by a shutdown.

"After traveling around the state and speaking with small business, nonprofit and housing stakeholders that would be affected by a potential government shutdown, one thing was clear: a shutdown would be a huge financial strain on Granite State organizations," Shaheen said.

She said it "would cause uncertainty for business owners and employees and would impact the most vulnerable Granite Staters, cutting them off from vital services they need."

New Hampshire has a total of 5,000 civilian federal workers, many of whom would be furloughed as soon a shutdown took effect unless their jobs are critical to public safety, the military or other key operations.

A small band of conservative House Republicans have been pressuring Speaker Kevin McCarthy to seek further cuts in a budget deal the GOP leadership on Capitol Hill reached with President Joe Biden in May.

If McCarthy refuses, they have said, they will seek to oust him as House leader.

At least some Senate Republicans support this stance.

"We're running a $2 trillion deficit. We're not fighting a war. We're not in a pandemic. That hurts everybody. That is crazy and our members recognize that. So we have members who want to do more, and spending cuts makes total sense to me," said Florida Republican Sen. Byron Donalds.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., remains hopeful that Senate leaders from both parties can convince the House GOP to back a short-term continuing resolution to keep the government operating past Sunday at midnight.

"A government shutdown would be costly and avoidable, and it would cause real harm to New Hampshire and the American people," Hassan said.

"A shutdown could devastate our economy and small businesses, and members of our military and border patrol — as well as other important federal employees such as air traffic controllers — could be forced to work without pay."

Uncertainty equals difficulty

Appledore Marine Engineering of Portsmouth has 25 workers who specialize in underwater inspection and design for the Navy and Coast Guard.

Senior Vice President Matt Teeden told Shaheen it's been difficult for his company to plan for a possible shutdown, not knowing if any of those employees will be considered "essential" and continue to work.

"We do a lot of work for the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, so those two agencies are tied a lot to government funding," Teeden said.

"I think it would mean an immediate cease on any new work, and the uncertainty of how long it would last depends on how that would impact us."

The 2018 shutdown lasted 34 days, the longest in the modern era.

All 1.3 million active military would keep working in a shutdown, including the 1,100 employed in New Hampshire, but will not get paid until the shutdown is over.

"They are playing partisan politics with American lives and national security," said John Kirby, the National Security Council's coordinator for strategic communications, during a conference call with regional reporters Tuesday.

All civilian Pentagon workers will be furloughed during a shutdown, which over time will harm readiness and cause backloads in procurement, Kirby said.

"Nobody joins the military to get rich. You join because you love your country and want to serve but you have every expectation the government will pay you a decent wage and help you protect your family."

In 2018, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard furloughed 2,300 of the 5,600 civilian employees who worked there.

Of the 6,400 civilian employees currently working there, 3,000 live in New Hampshire, officials said.

If an agreement is not reached, employees will miss their first paycheck on Oct. 13.

About 430 air traffic controllers work in New Hampshire, and past shutdowns have produced flight delays and longer wait times.

Spokeswoman Christina Lawson said Manchester-Boston Regional Airport does not expect any disruption this time.

"The airport will remain open and operational throughout any potential shutdown. We don't anticipate any impacts to Airport operations at this time," Lawson said in a statement. "It is our understanding that critical safety and security functions of both FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and TSA (Transportation Security Administration) will continue during any potential shutdown."

WIC benefits at risk

The Women, Infants and Children program provides much-needed protein food and vegetable benefits for low-income families.

The program has a $150 million contingency fund, but that could dry up in a matter of days.

In New Hampshire, the program serves almost 13,600 including more than 2,500 women, 8,550 infants and another 2,400 children, according to the White House.

Governors could choose to pay for this benefit, which costs $500 million a month nationwide, but there's no expectation that states would be repaid for those payments once a shutdown is over.

Gov. Chris Sununu this week is expected to detail any response the state government plans.

"The state is closely monitoring budget negotiations in Washington and the impacts of a potential government shutdown on the State of New Hampshire," Sununu's office said in a statement.

"The governor is working closely with state departments and agencies to minimize impact on Granite Staters as much as possible, with additional guidance made available later this week."

Shaheen also met Monday with many nonprofit leaders at Waypoint in Concord.

"As a nonprofit, we are dependent on federal funds to keep our important work going. Since 75% of our expenses go towards paying staff, we might not have the resources to pay our employees and run necessary programs that are a lifeline for many NH residents," said Borja Alvarez de Toledo, Waypoint's president and CEO.

Another 10,000 children nationwide could lose access to childcare subsidized through the federal Head Start program. The number of New Hampshire children at risk is unknown.

Members of Congress and the president will continue to be paid during a shutdown, but congressional aides in New Hampshire and Washington will be furloughed, officials said.

Many fiscal conservative groups oppose federal shutdowns, including Americans for Prosperity.

"Government shutdowns are notoriously ineffective in limiting the growth of government," said Greg Moore, AFP's state director here.

"The disruption caused is worse than any benefit. There are a lot of downstream, negative effects from these shutdowns."

For years, AFP has supported legislation co-sponsored by Hassan that would mandate automatic continuing resolutions kick in once the federal budget misses a deadline.

klandrigan@unionleader.com