Kansas wouldn't be immune from a federal government shutdown. Here's what to know

All eyes are on Washington, D.C., as legislators struggle to reach a deal to fund the federal government, and Kansans would not be immune from the effects of a looming government shutdown that would begin Sunday.

Congress has less than 36 hours to put together at least a short-term spending plan that would give lawmakers a few weeks to continue negotiations on funding items that have proved contentious for hard-right Republicans, including aid to Ukraine.

But a deal seems increasingly unlikely, with a government shutdown expected to start at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 1.

Such a shutdown, as seen recently during the 35-day shutdown in 2019, would have far-reaching national consequences, including delays or stops in many federal payments and services, like welfare assistance and airport security.

How would federal government shutdown affect Kansas?

While existing payments for more permanent programs like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security would continue as usual, those same programs would see other types of disruptions, such as inability to sign up for new benefits or lack of customer service.

Other types of assistance programs, though, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children have contingency funding that can keep them operating in the short term but would be affected by a longer-term government shutdown.

Kansas has about 17,000 federal civilian workers, according to the Congressional Research Service's most recent report. Most would either be put on furlough and sent home or be forced to work without pay, although most would receive retroactive pay once government operations were to resume.

Unlike some previous government shutdowns, the looming stop on spending would also affect the U.S. Department of Defense this time, including Kansas' military installations. Non-mission critical operations would come to a stop, and servicemembers would not be paid, unless lawmakers reach a spending deal or a stopgap specifically for the military.

There were 20,566 active duty personnel stationed in Kansas, according to a report from the Defense Manpower Data Center from September 2022, the latest date for which total data is available.

Other services, like the independent U.S. Postal Service that funds itself, would continue.

What is Kansas' congressional delegation doing about looming government shutdown?

U.S. Senate leaders on Wednesday announced a short-term, bipartisan deal that would fund the government through Nov. 17, with a vote scheduled for Saturday.

That deal, though, has little chance of making it through the House, controlled by Republicans who are balking at the Senate resolution's inclusion of an additional $6.2 billion in aid to Ukraine.

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall said he would not support a deal that prioritizes Ukraine over domestic issues such as fentanyl and what he has called a crisis on the country's border with Mexico.

"I am frustrated that we are hours away from the U.S. government shutting down, and the sticking point is whether we care more about Ukraine's security than America's security," Marshall wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. "While I can appreciate my colleagues' attempts to negotiate a deal with small conservative wins, but we are trying to fit a square peg through a round hole."

U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., on Wednesday told Fox Business that House Republicans' main, but not only, priority is to keep the government open.

"But we want the president to care more about our border than he does about Ukraine," LaTurner said. "We want to get this country back on track. It is worth having a fight over. But at the end of the day, I think Republicans are going to stick together and get the job done."

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, the Sunflower State's lone congressional Democrat representing Kansas' 2nd Congressional District, called on her Republican colleagues to stop a shutdown before it happens.

More: Government shutdown live updates: Can short-term funding bill stop a government shutdown?

She warned a shutdown would pose "a devastating blow to our economy and represents real consequences for hardworking Kansans."

"Folks back home are already struggling with higher prices on groceries and gas," the congresswoman wrote in a statement. "They hardly need more stress and uncertainty. I implore my colleagues to join me in working across the aisle to advance legislation that prevents a costly, harmful, and avoidable government shutdown, and to pass bipartisan legislation that reauthorize the FAA and Farm Bill.”

Rafael Garcia is an education reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached at rgarcia@cjonline.com or by phone at ‪785-289-5325. Follow him on Twitter at @byRafaelGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: How 2023 federal government shutdown would affect Kansas