Will the Federal Government Shutdown Affect Farmington?

With many non-essential government employees out on furlough and several federal establishments shut down, Farmington officials and agencies are waiting to hear whether there will be any impact locally. 

The short answer is that Farmington is not currently seeing the government shutdown trickle down to the municipal level. 

The UConn Health Center has seen no immediate impact so far, but the state institution is waiting to hear whether the shutdown will affect federal funding. 

"We're diligently following what is transpiring in Washington," Jeff Small, associate vice president of research administration and finance for the UConn Health Center, said in a statement submitted to Patch. "So far our existing research is funded and moving forward. Our concerns are with what would become a growing backlog of new grant applications and the implications we would be facing with the lack of funding that could occur.

So far, none of State Sen. Terry Gerratana's constituents or Farmington agencies have contacted her to say that the shutdown directly affected them. But she said that the people she has spoken to are frustrated. 

If the government shutdown does trickle down to Farmington, any any Connecticut towns for that matter, she and others in the General Assembly are there to help their constituents. 

"We're here ready to serve," said Gerratana, a Democrat who represents Farmington, Berlin and New Britain at the state level.

Have you personally been affected by the federal government shutdown or are you out on furlough from your job? Is your agency or organization in Farmington or the area affected? Tell us your story in the comments or email Jessie.Sawyer@patch.com.