SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The federal government is barreling towards a partial shutdown after GOP lawmakers in Congress backed away from a deal on a short-term spending bill struck with Democrats just days before the Friday deadline.
The move to renegotiate came at the request of President-elect Donald Trump and his allies, who demanded Republicans only agree to a clean stopgap spending bill that includes language to raise — or abolish — the debt ceiling in a series of statements Wednesday.
The original deal struck with Democrats tacked on funding for disaster aid for living in areas hit by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, and economic assistance for farmers. The bill would have also opened up $250 million for repairs to the South Bay sewage treatment plant here in San Diego.
Congress has until midnight Friday to engineer and pass a new bill, or else risk sending the federal government into a partial shutdown right before the holidays.
Any potential shutdown could have far-reaching impacts that could hit people here in San Diego, including furloughs on federal workers and pauses on certain services.
Here's what San Diegans should know about a potential shutdown:
What does a government shutdown mean?
A government shutdown occurs when Congress does not pass legislation to fund government operations and the president does not sign such a measure to put it into effect.
Without this measure, the government cannot operate and effectively shutters everything except for certain critical services until lawmakers push through a spending bill, either one that funds operations temporarily — also referred to as a stopgap — or on a more permanent basis.
In the last decade, the U.S. has seen four government shutdowns. The most recent, which was the longest in history, occurred during Trump's first term from December 2018 to January 2019, when lawmakers hit a stalemate over $5.9 billion in funding for his U.S.-Mexico border wall.
What is impacted and how might San Diegans feel it?
One of the primary and most painful impacts of a government shutdown relates to federal workers, including civilians career, federal law enforcement and military personnel.
Most non-essential federal employees will be furloughed after a shutdown begins, while essential employees will be expected to continue working without pay. This largely depends on the agency they work for, as each decides on its own plan for handling shutdowns.
In San Diego County, these changes would hit tens of thousands of federal workers, including 64,000 civilians — accounting for about 3.6% of the region’s civilian workforce — and 115,000 military personnel.
Among those that would continue working without pay include: Congress and their staffers, the U.S. Postal Service, active duty service members, U.S. Border Patrol agents, employees at Veterans Affairs, Transportation Security Administration agents and air traffic controllers.
All operations at military bases like Camp Pendleton and Naval Base Coronado will also be likely be expected to continue as normal without pay for on-duty personnel.
Most of these workers will likely be able to collect back pay for the duration of the shutdown when the government reopens. Some banks will be offering a paycheck assistance program for impacted patrons, including Navy Federal Credit Union.
San Diegans who receive Social Security checks or benefits through Medicare will still be able to continue accessing those entitlements. However, the processing of new applications could be frozen, as seen during a 1996 shutdown, and response times for those with issues may slow.
Another notable impact that may become a big issue heading into the busy travel season is how a shutdown impacts air travel. While federal airport workers like TSA agents will still be expected to work without pay, previous shutdowns have led to an uptick in the number of employees staying home, contributing to longer screening lines and more flight disruptions.
How would a shutdown end?
Congress would need to pass a plan to fund the government to end any shutdown. In this case, it would likely be a short-term measure, pushing the deadline to fund the government in whole back to early spring.
Republican leadership in the House announced a new funding plan Thursday afternoon, which includes elements of both Trump's demand to suspend the debt ceiling and the funding asks from Democrats.
Whether the spending bill passes through votes by lawmakers remains an open question.
The measure failed in a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives through an expedited procedure that requires two-thirds of the body to approve. Republicans can now try to pass the bill a second time using a simple majority, but it will likely be difficult.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) would need to garner some Democratic votes to balance any Republican defections with their slim majority — a prospect that appears to be difficult with a majority voting against it.