How will the government shutdown hit Washington state? It depends

As Washington state braces for the first shutdown since 2019 — the longest in history at 35 days — a number of state and federal governments announced their operations would be unaffected. But at some agencies, impacts are still a question-mark — particularly the longer the shutdown lasts.

Food and welfare benefits

Social Security and Medicare benefits will continue to be issued, as well as health care services for veterans. The Washington State Department of Health announced Wednesday it would have to temporarily lay off or reduce hours for around 50 employees who are paid or partially paid by federal grants if the shutdown continues until Monday, Oct. 6.

Most of those employees manage Washington’s Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which provides food support to more than 200,000 Washingtonians. The Washington WIC estimates it has enough money to keep providing food to families for about two weeks.

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“The services that WIC provides reduce infant deaths, improve the growth of infants and children, increase immunization rates, increase access to community supports, and help ensure early prenatal care for pregnant participants,” Brittany Tybo, director of Washington's Office of Nutrition Services, said in a press release. “All of these benefits are at risk for WIC families, and the risk increases the longer the shutdown continues.”

National parks

Roads, lookouts, and trails in national parks are expected to remain accessible to visitors, though most National Park Service employees are apparently no longer on the job to make sure visitors enjoy the parks safely.

In September, a group of 35 former National Park superintendents and the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association both urged that parks and other public lands be closed in the event of a government shutdown.

“Leaving parks even partially open to the public during a shutdown with minimal — or no — park staffing is reckless and puts both visitors and park resources at risk,” the former superintendents wrote.

According to the National Park Service’s September 2025 contingency plan, 9,300 of the service’s 14,500 employees would be furloughed with the shutdown.

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Just what remains open or safe to use at Washington’s three large national parks is unclear.

Phones rang without being answered at a visitor center at Mount Rainier National Park.

Interview requests to North Cascades and Olympic national parks were redirected to National Park Service headquarters, where an unnamed spokesperson declined an interview request.

“Critical functions that protect life, property, and public health will remain in place, including visitor access in many locations, law enforcement, and emergency response,” the spokesperson said by email.

Military and transportation

Paychecks for active-duty military will stop on Oct. 15, but they’re still required to report for duty. Family centers on bases like Whidbey’s Naval Air Station are open, but classes are canceled, Military Times reports.

Vessels and pedestrians can still traverse Ballard Locks, which is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers along with a number of dams across the Pacific Northwest, a spokesperson in Seattle said.

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“Just like everyone else, we have no idea how long the shutdown will last,” Shelia Fourman, chief of public affairs for the Army Corps of Engineers in Seattle, told KUOW. “Things may change, but as of right now, we are remaining open.”

Air-traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration staff at Sea-Tac Airport will continue coming to work without pay.