Congress is at risk of bowing to President-elect Donald Trump’s demands and not passing a plan by the end of Friday to temporarily fund the federal government through March, meaning a government shutdown that would affect Maine in various ways is on the table.
A bipartisan array of lawmakers were initially optimistic about passing a continuing resolution before midnight Saturday to avoid a shutdown and provide about $100 billion in disaster aid to states hit by extreme storms such as Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
But Trump, who takes office in January, threw a wrench in those plans Wednesday when he and Vice President-elect JD Vance demanded Republicans renegotiate the stopgap measure. Trump argued it contains too many Democratic giveaways and also demanded lawmakers raise the nation’s debt limit while President Joe Biden is still in office, a provision GOP legislators have routinely rejected in the past.
A government shutdown would be felt in Maine in various ways, with past cases of congressional gridlock offering examples of the consequences. National parks would close, though Acadia National Park and its surroundings on Mount Desert Island still have accessible areas for winter visitors.
The last time a government shutdown closed Acadia during the busier tourist season was in October 2013, and before that, a 1995 shutdown closed Acadia during the quieter November time.
Furloughs could affect the thousands of federal employees in Maine, but essential workers such as Coast Guard members, Border Patrol agents, airport security screeners and air traffic controllers stay on duty. Still, working without pay resulted in tough economic situations for Maine’s federal personnel in the past, such as during the 35-day shutdown in December 2018 and January 2019 that was the longest on record.
Federal courts in Maine could operate for weeks without federal funding by relying on fees and other funds but eventually would have to scale back operations if a shutdown continued on longer.
Other services important to residents in Maine, which is the nation’s oldest state by median age, would continue without interruption, such as Social Security, veterans benefits and medical care and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Medicare benefits may experience delays, however, amid a shutdown.
Members of Congress continue to receive pay, and that ties into one dispute over the current stopgap funding bill because it includes a provision to raise lawmakers’ pay by 3.8 percent, or a $6,600 increase to the $174,000 that members of Congress make annually.
U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat who represents Maine’s 2nd District, said he would oppose the continuing resolution due to that pay raise and also because Republicans inserted a health insurance provision that he said would have federal dollars fund a larger share of members’ premiums.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, needs Democratic votes to pass a continuing resolution amid Trump’s demands and Republicans saying they will not back it.
