Montana Faces Big Losses If Government Shuts Down

Government Shutdown Looms Over Montana

This article may become outdated within 24 hours, but as of its publication, it seems that the American government is on the brink of a shutdown.

This would mark the first shutdown since 2018, which lasted 34 days, but if the government were to shut down, what would that mean for us living in Montana?

National Parks In Montana Could Close

One of the first things we'd see happening in Montana was the closure of both Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park.

While this time of year isn't the biggest tourist season, any loss of tourism does hurt, especially those businesses that rely on that money to get through the year.

Adding to this, President Trump has said he would fire federal workers if a shutdown were to happen; that means people wouldn't just lose a paycheck or two, but their entire livelihood.

Tribal Communities Face Major Impacts

Also affected by the potential shutdown would be the tribal communities that rely on federal dollars to help with elderly and disabled care.

There is also the loss of nutritional assistance from the Food Distribution Program, not to mention housing programs like HUD and public safety agencies, including tribal police departments.

Agriculture And Farm Assistance Could Stall

A government shutdown would potentially have a huge impact on our agriculture sector as well.

A shutdown could see loans from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) being stopped, along with payments for assistance due to weather-damaged crops being delayed.

That doesn't even get into the markets, dependent on federal information which would no longer be available, thus resulting in a very volatile market during the shutdown.

Thousands of Montana Federal Workers Affected

Finally one of the biggest impacts will just be on our residents, as there are over 10,000 people who work for the federal government, who could see themselves being furloughed or forced to work without pay.

Here’s hoping those politicians in Washington D.C. can unite for the American people and that we can avoid the 15th government shutdown since 1980.