Here's how government shutdown would impact Louisiana troops, Social Security, Medicare
More than 30,000 U.S. military troops and civilian employees in Louisiana on installations from Barksdale to Fort Johnson to Belle Chasse could begin missing paychecks if the government shuts down beginning Oct. 1, though Social Security payments will still be made and Medicare and Veterans Affairs benefits will continue.
The looming government shutdown will begin at midnight Sunday unless Congress can come up with a deal to fund the government.
During shutdowns federal agencies are required to classify their employees as either "essential" or "nonessential."
Essential workers like American troops will be required to continue to work without pay, while nonessential workers will be furloughed without pay. All workers will receive back pay when funding resumes.
The U.S. Senate this week reached a bipartisan deal this week to keep the government open, but the House has been unable to find a path to avoiding a shutdown with deals there blocked by a small group of conservative Republicans who want deeper spending cuts.
"We are up against the clock," Republican Louisiana U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. "It looks like there will be a short government shutdown."
Cassidy said Democratic President Joe Biden "needs to come to the table and talk to (Republican House Speaker) Kevin McCarthy" to reach a compromise in the House.
In a statement, Republican Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson said, "House Republicans are doing the hard work of both funding the government and charting a path back to fiscal sanity for our country."
A shutdown would have the biggest impact on military families and civilian workers on Louisiana bases and the communities surrounding them like Shreveport-Bossier City, the home of Barksdale Air Force Base, and central Louisiana, where much of the economy is fueled by Fort Johnson.
Military spending accounts for $9.64 billion of economic activity across Louisiana, according to a study released in 2021.
"Every region of Louisiana benefits economically from the payroll, spending, contracted work and other activity arising from the military’s presence in our state," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in reference to the study.
The study was commissioned by Louisiana Economic Development and the Louisiana Military Advisory Council. State law mandates an in-depth assessment of the military’s impact in Louisiana every four years.
It shows the military accounts for 77,000 jobs — one of every 26 jobs in Louisiana — and makes up 2.4% of the state's gross domestic product, as well as contributing $349.7 million in local and state taxes.
Louisiana Social Security recipients will continue to receive their checks during a shutdown. Social Security is considered a mandatory program and it isn't funded by the shorter-term appropriations bills passed by Congress and signed by the president.
Medicare and Veterans Affairs benefits also continue to be distributed during a shutdown.
Federal courts will use self-generated fees to remain open in the short term.
The shutdown could lead to delays in services like processing passport applications, government loans and closures of visitors centers and bathrooms in national parks.
More: Senator Bill Cassidy backs effort to raise federal minimum wage for first time since 2007
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Here's how shutdown would impact Louisiana troops, Social Security
