Wednesday, OCTOBER 1, 2025 |
Photo – Notice – Bigfoot99 file photo
Government is shut down. Some national news media outlets refer to it as “The Schummer shutdown”, referring to Democrat Senate Leader Chuck Schummer.
Congress, on Tuesday, failed to agree to a funding extension by midnight, October 1. The failure to reach a spending deal shut down government for the first time in more than six years.
Wyoming Senior Senator John Barrasso voiced his frustration Tuesday evening as the deadline neared.
Two Democrats and one Independent joined with Republicans on Tuesday. Senators John Fetterman (PA), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), and Angus King (I-ME), voted for the bill, which failed 55 to 45, forcing the shutdown.
Medicare and Social Security will continue to operate. Unemployment benefits will be paid.
However, calls to federal agencies may go unanswered.
The National Weather Service also will continue to operate.
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon has been monitoring the situation in Washington with the federal government.
The Governor issued protocols to state agencies regarding state employee positions that are fully or partially funded by the federal government.
The Governor’s Chief of Staff, Drew Perkins, articulated the short-term protocols in a letter to state cabinet members as follows:
- During previous federal government shutdowns, Wyoming continued to fund state employee positions that were fully or partially federally funded. The State intends to do the same for this potential shutdown.
- Wyoming will cover any gaps in funding of the federal government’s commitments to state employees (those in the state budget) in the short-term, so that citizens are not unnecessarily impacted.
- In the event of a protracted shutdown, Wyoming will be forced to make decisions on how best to proceed, which may include suspending federally funded contracts and programs and/or furloughing federally funded state employees.
The memorandum to state agencies from the Governor’s Chief of Staff concluded, “Any state funds expended under federal obligation during the shutdown are expected, though not guaranteed, to be reimbursed by the federal government.”
Other impacts from the failure of Congress to strike a deal Tuesday include a warning from Vice President JD Vance that flights could be delayed in some parts of the nation amid the government shutdown.
The US Travel Association, a trade group, warned that a government shutdown could cost $1 billion a week and create ‘unnecessary strain on an already overextended federal travel workforce.’
Stock futures plunged and gold rocketed to fresh all-time highs on Wednesday after the government shutdown took hold at midnight.
