A week into the federal government shutdown, most Maricopa residents haven’t noticed much change. But with federal workers furloughed, offices shuttered and key programs running on reserve funds, the local effects could surface soon if Congress doesn’t act.
Late this morning, the gates at Box Canyon shooting range stood open. Rifle shots cracked through the canyon as usual, shutdown or not. When asked whether that would change, an automatic reply from the Bureau of Land Management’s local spokesperson made things clear: “Due to the lapse in appropriations, I am out of the office and not authorized to work during this time.”
A follow-up email from the agency’s broader communications office offered further clarification.
“The Bureau of Land Management remains committed to maintaining as much access as possible to park lands during the lapse in appropriations. Critical functions that protect life, property and public health will continue to be staffed. This includes law enforcement, emergency response, fire management and visitor safety operations. Public lands in Arizona, including Box Canyon, are open,” read a BLM statement to InMaricopa.
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget directed agencies to halt nonessential operations, furloughing “non-excepted” employees while keeping only those whose work protects life and property.
That means many federal offices across the Phoenix valley, including those overseeing land management, education grants and food safety inspections, are now silent. Still, key services continue: air traffic control at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Social Security and Medicare benefits, and veterans’ healthcare remain unaffected.
Roughly 58,000 federal employees in Arizona are either working or furloughed under those designations. About 6,000 live in Pinal County, according to state labor data, many employed in public lands, border services or federal contracting.
Although furloughed employees will eventually receive backpay once Congress restores funding, many face immediate financial strain if the shutdown continues beyond mid-October.
“I’m just hoping not to get laid off, too,” said David Anderson, a federal employee in Casa Grande. “We got to do what we got to do.”
The same uncertainty looms over students who rely on federal nutrition programs. Public schools in Maricopa will continue serving meals for now, said Mishell Terry, spokesperson for Maricopa Unified School District.
“Funding is already in place to continue meal services,” Terry said today. “However, if the shutdown lasts for an extended period, there could be delays in federal reimbursements.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that the National School Lunch Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program will remain funded through month’s end using carryover and reserve funds.
“The programs are stable in the short term,” said Clarissa Hayes, deputy director of child nutrition programs and policy at the Food Research & Action Center. “But the longer a shutdown continues, the greater the likelihood of delayed reimbursements and confusion at the state level.”
According to USDA guidance, about 1,100 of the agency’s 1,237 Food and Nutrition Service employees are furloughed, which could slow updates and assistance for state agencies like the Arizona Department of Education, the agency that processes school meal reimbursements.
Families affected by furloughs, including those with parents employed by the federal government, are being encouraged to apply for free or reduced-price meals as household incomes fluctuate.
Arizona’s congressional delegation is split on who’s to blame.
Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat, pointed the finger at Republicans and President Trump.
“This shutdown didn’t have to happen, but President Trump and Republicans in Congress decided they’d rather shut down the government than keep health premiums from spiking for millions of Americans,” he said.
Rep. Eli Crane, the Republican who represents Maricopa in Washington, D.C., pointed the finger back at Democrats.
“The current government shutdown was entirely avoidable. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats chose political posturing over the interests of Americans,” he said in a statement to InMaricopa this morning. “As a result, many federal employees are now either furloughed or working without pay. If just five more Democrat senators defy Chuck Schumer, the shutdown will end immediately. I urge Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego to stop playing political games and do what’s right for Arizonans.”
Crane is in Arizona, but through a press aide, said he was too busy to discuss the effects of the government shutdown.
Gallego, also a Democrat, released resources for constituents affected by the shutdown, including unemployment guidance and agency contact information at Gallego.Senate.gov/Shutdown.
For all the political finger-pointing in Washington, you’d never know it at Box Canyon, where on a quiet Tuesday afternoon, the range remains open and the sound of gunfire still echoes through Maricopa’s desert.
