Mass federal furloughs possible in Bay Area if government shuts down

If federal lawmakers can’t reach an agreement to fund the government before Tuesday night’s deadline, thousands of federal employees in the Bay Area could be furloughed or asked to work without a paycheck until the impasse is resolved.

How that might affect public services was unclear on Monday. Many federal agencies could not say, and past government shutdowns have played out differently. Analysts and employees expect interruptions to some federal services, but not others.

But both Republicans and Democrats laid out dire consequences from a prolonged shutdown.

Republican President Donald Trump’s White House in a statement Monday blamed Democrats, even though Republicans control Congress and the White House, and said they were jeopardizing “critical funding for veterans, seniors, law enforcement and many others.”

Republicans’ narrow majorities in Congress require dealmaking with Democrats, who countered that they are withholding votes in an effort to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and oppose the Republican administration’s cuts to Medicaid.

About 8,000 federal employees would go without pay in the East Bay U.S. House district of Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, the Democrat said. Plus, 10,000 low-income residents would temporarily lose their food assistance benefits, he said. In the Silicon Valley district of Rep. Ro Khanna, another Democrat, 5,300 federal workers would be furloughed. Statewide, Democrats estimate 190,000 federal workers would be furloughed or forced to work without pay, plus 213,000 military personnel in the state.

DeSaulnier said his party, led by New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, was taking a stand against the broad cuts to health care spending and nutrition assistance in Trump’s centerpiece “Big, Beautiful Bill.”

That may sate a Democratic Party base that’s hungry for its leaders to put up a fight against the Republican administration, said Thad Kousser, a political science professor at UC San Diego.

“I can’t imagine the Democrats getting billions in Medicaid funding restored next week,” he said. “But by highlighting the bread and butter issues that they stand for, and setting the stage for issues they want to fight for in the 2026 midterms, they can start the path toward a political recovery.”

And as of Monday afternoon, it was still unclear whether the U.S. would see its first federal government shutdown since 2019, the longest in history — or how long one would last.

In the event of a federal government shutdown, California’s 280 state parks and beaches will remain open.

What will happen, however, at the 28 national park units in California — including Yosemite, Muir Woods, Pinnacles, Death Valley, and Golden Gate National Recreation Area sites like Alcatraz Island and Fort Point — remained unclear Monday. Officials at the National Park Service and Department of Interior did not respond to questions.

Employees at national parks in California said they have received no direction from the Trump administration on what they should tell visitors and people with reservations at hotels and campgrounds. In 1995 and 2013, when presidents Clinton and Obama were in office, their administrations closed national parks during federal government shutdowns when Congress could not agree on a budget. But in 2018, during President Trump’s first term, he chose to leave national parks partially open during a 35-day shutdown. Fees were not collected, restrooms remained closed, only a small crew of rangers remained.

“Americans watched helplessly as Joshua Trees were cut down, park buildings were vandalized, prehistoric petroglyphs were defaced, trash overflowed, leading to wildlife impacts, and human waste piled up,” said Theresa Pierno, president of the National Parks Conservation Association. “Visitor safety and irreplaceable natural and cultural resources were put at serious risk. We cannot allow this to happen again.”

During prior government shutdowns, federal law enforcement officers and firefighters have not been furloughed. A contingency plan for shutdowns published in January 2024 by the U.S. Forest Service at the end of the Biden administration said that roughly half of the 37,485 Forest Service employees — including wildlife firefighters — would remain at work to protect life and property if the government shut down in future.

There are 20 million acres of national forest lands in California, making up 20% of the state. National forests include vast areas in Big Sur, the Sierra Nevada, the mountains around Los Angeles, and far Northern California near the Oregon border. Officials at Cal Fire, the state’s leading firefighting agency have said they expect Forest Service firefighters to continue battling wildfires, but are concerned that other work, like fire prevention projects, might stop.

“Normally these shutdowns don’t affect the federal firefighting agencies as much. We are confident there will still be firefighting resources,” said Battalion Chief Jesse Torres, a spokesman for Cal Fire.

Social security and Medicare benefits payouts would consider as usual, according to the Committee for a Responsible Budget, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit. But Bonnie Burns, policy specialist at California Health Advocates, said those programs are already understaffed after the DOGE-led cuts to government services that Trump led in the spring. A shutdown would likely impact the call centers that are crucial for program recipients, she said.

On the other hand, federal courthouses in the Bay Area would operate as usual — in the short term.

“In the event of a partial shutdown of the federal government, the judiciary remains open and can continue operations for a short amount of time, by using court fee balances and other funds not dependent on a new appropriation,” a spokesperson for the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California said in an email. “Most proceedings and deadlines will occur as scheduled.”

Nor will Amtrak trains be affected.

“Amtrak will continue normal operation of its passenger rail network,” spokesperson Olivia Irvin said in an email. “Passengers planning to travel on Amtrak trains in the Northeast Corridor and across the country in the coming days and weeks can be assured that Amtrak will remain open for business.”

And spokesperson for airports in Oakland and San Jose said they didn’t expect to be impacted by a government shutdown. TSA officers and federal air traffic controllers would likely be considered essential workers and required to work without pay, they said, until lawmakers reach an agreement.