Hours from federal shutdown, Southwest braces for fallout

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(The Center Square) – With just hours until a federal government shutdown, states are bracing for potential impacts.

In the Southwest, many Democrats are pointing fingers at the Republicans for pushing the country toward a shutdown.

“Trump is shutting down the government — making monthly health care costs jump hundreds of dollars for millions, putting food assistance for people in need at-risk, and making troops go without pay,” said California Gov. Gavin Newsom. “It’s despicable, and it’s completely MAGA made!”

Newsom’s office called a potential shutdown “extreme, selfish, and politically motivated” on the part of Republicans, calling out President Donald Trump’s administration for sending a message to Democrats that contained profanity.

States are expecting major impacts to federal services if the U.S. government shuts down for the first time since 2018.

U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colorado, is warning of the impact on Coloradans.

“Republicans must stop playing games and work with us to keep costs down and prevent a shutdown,” Pettersen said.

Her Colorado estimates for a shutdown include 52,000 service members working without pay, nearly 90,000 Coloradans losing access to food assistance and 44,000 federal employees working without pay.

Newsom’s office has released similar analyses for California, stating that cuts to school programs, National Park closures, Social Security delays and mass firings could all be imminent.

California is also home to more than 150,000 federal employees, who would face working without pay or being furloughed.

Arizona has 35,000 government employees, and Nevada has more than 12,000.

Democrats warn that even a short shutdown could have long-term effects.

“No matter how short-lived the shutdown is, Americans will face economic losses in the billions — something totally unnecessary if Trump and his MAGA minions had taken proactive action that protects Americans,” Newsom’s office said.

That’s not the whole picture, though, as Republicans are blaming Democrats for prioritizing illegal immigrants over citizens, referring to their plan to continue taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants.

“Democrats are threatening to shut the government down if they don’t get their Radical Wishlist of demands of $1 Trillion for illegal immigrants,” said the Colorado Republican Party. “They’d rather see seniors, veterans, and our military suffer at their expense.”

Democrats are also pushing for the continued funding of pandemic-era government subsidies for health insurance.

U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nevada, said he is ready to get to work on the budget and roll back those cuts to health care that passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act this past summer.

“Republicans are holding the government hostage, and Nevadans’ health care will be the cost,” Horsford said.

On the Senate floor Monday, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, called on Republicans to work with Democrats to lower health care costs and keep the federal government open. He noted almost 380,000 Arizonans rely on health care tax credits that help them afford their Affordable Care Act coverage. "So if those tax credits are allowed to expire, that means their health care premiums for next year go up as much as 55%."

Although Republicans control both the U.S. Senate and House, they need seven Democrats in the Senate to meet the 60-vote requirement to pass the budget. Otherwise, the federal government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. EST Wednesday.