Will mail service stop if the U.S. government shuts down? Here’s how Texas will be affected
Published: Sat, 09/30/23
Will mail service stop if the U.S. government shuts down? Here’s how Texas will be affected
House Republicans are charging toward a U.S. government shutdown in less than 10 days.
(Dreamstime/TNS) TNS
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
BY DALIA FAHEID
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 4:25 PM
If Congress can’t agree on a way to continue funding the federal government by Saturday, many government services across the country will cease.
“A government shutdown amounts to a suspension of many government operations until Congress acts to restore funding,” writes New York Times reporter Zach Montague.
The federal government has shut down 21 times in the last five decades, according to The Hill. In 2018, the longest and most recent shutdown affected about 800,000 of the federal government’s 2.1 million employees for 34 days.
WHAT HAPPENS IN TEXAS WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN?
When will the shutdown start? Without a funding plan, a shutdown would take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1. It would lead to nonessential federal functions getting suspended and in millions of federal employees not getting paid.
Will Social Security checks continue to be sent out? Social Security and other mandatory government payments would continue going out, but various other parts of the government could be affected.
National parks: One the most visible impacts of a government shutdown is the temporary shuttering of national parks. Texas has 14 areas managed by the National Park Service, including parks, historic sites and preserves. There are two national parks in Texas, Big Bend and the Guadalupe Mountains. According to the U.S. National Park Service website, there are 5.7 million visitors to national parks in Texas, making $481.4 million of economic benefit from national park tourism.
Federal Courthouse: Colt Fisher, the chief deputy of operations for the United States District Court in the Northern District of Texas, told the Star-Telegram “The judiciary will continue to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities to the public notwithstanding a lapse in appropriations. Courthouses will remain open. Also, the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) system will be operational for electronic filing of documents. Most proceedings and deadlines will occur as scheduled. However, in cases that involve attorneys from Executive Branch agencies who are furloughed, hearing and filing dates may be rescheduled as determined by the court. The court will post public notices if any services are stopped or delayed.”
Nutrition and immunization assistance: Several government programs could cause more severe issues if stopped, one being nutrition and immunization assistance from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. If funding lapses, nearly 7 million women and children could lose needed access to food and the federal contingency fund to keep the program going could run out within days, per the New York Times. “If we have a shutdown, WIC shuts down, and that means the nutrition assistance to those moms and young children shuts down,” Tom Vilsack, the agriculture secretary, said on Monday. In the event of a federal government shutdown, Texas WIC told the Star-Telegram it will continue to serve mothers and young children as long as possible. As long as the United States Department of Agriculture grants authority to use funds already available to the program, Texas WIC can remain open and operate as usual until at least Oct. 31, spokesperson Tiffany Young says. All services and support will be available. Texas WIC clients can continue to use their WIC card at the grocery store and attend WIC appointments. Prior shutdowns have not resulted in any impacts in Texas, due to the short duration. Should a government shutdown outlast available funding, WIC participants would be notified in advance of any changes or termination of their WIC benefits.
Will post offices close? “Postal Service operations will not be interrupted in the event of a government shutdown, and all Post Offices will remain open for business as usual,” said Carol Hunt, a Texas spokesperson for the U. S. Postal Service. “Because we are an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars, our services will not be impacted by a government shutdown.”
This story was originally published September 28, 2023, 11:54 AM.