Federal Government Shutdown: Some Of The Ways Colo. Is Affected

LAKEWOOD, CO – Much of the federal government is now into its third week of being shut down. There's not a lot of optimism that it's going to end any time soon.

In addition to the hundreds of thousands around the country who have either been furloughed or are being forced to work without pay, there are millions more affected in any number of ways.

Federal prosecutors are starting to ask for delays in cases. TSA employees are getting ready to figure out to not getting paychecks. Families who get food stamps are figuring out what to if the shutdown lasts through the end of the month or longer because the checks will stop coming.

Then there are the people not being able to buy a home because the IRS isn't verifying tax data and the Federal Housing Administration isn't process.

While people know that there are plenty of federal employees in Colorado – from US Forest Service workers holding off on fire prevention projects despite Oregon having just emerged from one of the worst fire seasons to Agriculture Department employees working with the state's many farmers – it's not clear how many Coloradans have been furloughed or are working without pay.

The Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment said federal employees on furlough can apply for temporary unemployment benefits.

In all, as of June 2018, the most recent numbers available from the federal Office of Personnel Management, there were 53,000 federal workers in Colorado.

Currently, nine of the 15 Cabinet-level departments (Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, State, Transportation, and Treasury) are at least partially shut down.

Those departments employ 37,200 Coloradans.

The almost 15,450 other Coloradans work for the dozens of smaller independent agencies that are also shuttered or at least partly shuttered because of the budget dispute. Other employees can be found in independent agencies including:

• Federal Maritime Commission
• National Archives and Records Administration
• NASA
• FEC
• FCC
• National Labor Relations Board
• National Endowment for the Arts
• Peace Corps
• Railroad Retirement Board.

So, how many of these Coloradans are working without pay or just not working?

There's no easy answer to that.

The Senate Appropriations Committee released some national estimates, concluding that about 420,000 federal employees will be working without pay while around 380,000 are being or have been furloughed.

As for who those people are and where they are located, there is no detailed accounting of them.

The Appropriations Committee says that this much is known:

• The Commerce Department is furloughing 86 percent – around 41,000 – employees;
• NASA is sending around 96 percent – about 16,700 employees – home for the duration;
• At least 80 percent of the employees of the United States Forest Service – about 28,800 staff – are on furlough;
• About 52,000 employees of the Internal Revenue Service are not at work; and
• About 95 percent of employees at the Department of Housing and Urban Development – about 7,100 workers – are not in the office.

There is no way to translate that into state-specific breakdowns. Agencies are allowed to determine on their own which employees are essential, which ones should go home, and are not required to publicize those numbers.

One major group of Colorado residents who will feel the pinch are farmers.

Already dealing with problems created by Washington-initiated trade disputes, farmers are also now coping with the fact the Agriculture Department has closed all of its local and state farm service centers.

Without the USDA to act as the lender of last resort, farmers – who are having trouble getting bank loans – are concerned about paying bills this winter if the shutdown continues . For those starting to plan for spring, farmers will find it difficult to get information from the USDA's Farm Service Agency.

Then there are small businesses who may not be able to get loans because they won't be able to get guarantees from the Small Business Administration.

All the news is not grim for Coloradans needing help. There will be plenty of agencies still open, still working.

That's only bad for the 420,000 federal employees who are working without pay.

Prisons are open, air traffic controllers are making sure that planes take off and land safely, companies will still be able to file documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission, though the staff won't be able to examine them, and all Veterans Hospitals are still working as if there was no shutdown, except, of course, for the employees who will be working without pay.

In their report, the Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee says that among the around 420,000 people working without pay are more than 41,000 law enforcement officers including:

• 2,614 ATF agents;
• 16,742 Bureau of Prisons correctional officers;
• 13,709 FBI agents;
• 3,600 deputy U.S. Marshals; and
• 4,399 DEA agents.
• Up To 88 Percent Of Department of Homeland Security Employees, Including:
• 54,000 Customs and Border Protection agents and customs officers; and 42,000 Coast Guard employees.

Representatives of the Trump Administration and the leaders of the House and Senate met on Saturday to discuss the shutdown and reportedly little progress was made.

Related: Museum of Nature & Science Free For Furloughed Federal Workers

Related: Furloughed Federal Colorado Workers Eligible For Benefits: State

Related: Gov. Shutdown: Action Center Reaches Out To Furloughed Workers

By Colin Miner, Patch Staff

Photo of President Trump and leaders of the House and Senate meeting in the White House Situation Room on Jan. 2 via the Office of the President.

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