CHEYENNE — The first government shutdown since 2019 began at 10 p.m. local time Tuesday after members of Congress failed to come to an agreement on a short-term government funding bill.
In the week leading up to the anticipated government shutdown, Wyoming’s three-member congressional delegation, as well as many other Republicans, pointed fingers across the aisle, blaming Democrats.
Democrats are urging Congress to extend soon-to-expire tax credits that lower the cost of health insurance for millions of Americans, to roll back Trump-era cuts to Medicaid and to block reductions in funding for federal health agencies.
“(Democrats) can govern in the best interest of the American people or they can continue to grandstand for retweets and likes from their liberal base,” Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., wrote in a statement published Wednesday. “Republicans are united in our commitment to reopen the government. How long that takes, and how costly it is, is entirely up to Senate Democrats.”
In Wyoming, and across the nation, this shutdown, or lapse of discretionary funding, feels different from the one that began seven years ago, which occurred during the first Trump administration. It lasted 35 days, furloughed around 380,000 government employees and reduced the national GDP by around $3 billion, according to a 2019 report from the Congressional Budget Office.
However, that shutdown only impacted some governmental entities.
This time around, the pains may be felt deeper, as none of the government spending bills have yet become law.
By Wednesday afternoon, more than 750,000 federal employees had been furloughed, meaning they will not work until the shutdown ends. Employees whose duties are deemed essential will continue to work. No employees will be paid until the shutdown has ended, however.
In a memo first reported by POLITICO before the shutdown, Republican plans would go beyond standard shutdown furloughs as Trump instructed federal agencies to prepare for mass firings during the shutdown.
In Wyoming, where there were 6,832 federal employees as of 2024, the impact will be felt the longer the shutdown continues. At the time of publication, it will continue until at least Friday.
Federal employees in Wyoming
The evening before the shutdown became official, Gov. Mark Gordon issued a statement on the statewide protocol for federal employees within the state.
In the release, Gordon’s chief of staff, Drew Perkins, articulated the Gordon administration’s short-term protocols in a letter to state cabinet members with three points.
First, as during previous federal government shutdowns, Wyoming will continue to fund state employee positions that were fully or partially federally funded.
Second, 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.
Third, 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.
Gordon’s office did not respond Wednesday to requests for comment on how long “short-term” indicates and how much the state would spend before beginning to furlough federally funded employees.
“Any state funds expended under federal obligation during the shutdown are expected, though not guaranteed, to be reimbursed by the federal government,” Perkins’ memorandum stated.
Medicaid and Social Security
In Wyoming, more than 6,600 people receive Social Security payments, around 71,000 children and adults are enrolled in Medicaid, and 127,000 are enrolled in Medicare.
Those individuals do not directly and immediately have cause for concern, as people with Medicaid and Medicare coverage should still have access to health care, and Social Security checks will continue to go out on time.
However, some have expressed concern about the challenges people might have in accessing other related services they need.
Tom Lacock, associate state director for state advocacy and communications for AARP Wyoming, said there could be some consumer impacts in health care. Most casework services for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries will likely be suspended, and newly enrolled beneficiaries may not get a card for a while, something Lacock said could cause confusion.
Additionally, he expressed concern about telehealth services provided by Medicare. While not directly impacted by the government shutdown, the extension of those services was attached to the continuing resolution that Congress failed to pass.
This expiration will mean that Medicare will no longer reimburse providers for the care provided via telehealth. Eventually, Lacock believes, this could place a financial burden on the pocketbooks of older adults if this trajectory continues.
Military
Under a government shutdown, the U.S. military operates similarly to other federal agencies. Only duties deemed essential, like national security and human life, remain operational.
Training, maintenance and support functions often slow down. Some military construction, research and procurement projects pause if not funded by prior-year appropriations or exempt accounts.
For F.E. Warren Air Force Base, it is unclear at this time what this means for the more than $140 billion Project Sentinel. With an ambitious goal of modernizing the nation’s land-based nuclear arsenal, starting in Cheyenne, the project has already faced several delays and shot up in cost estimates multiple times — with current estimates now 81% higher than original projections.
At the time of publication, it was unclear how the government shutdown will impact the project, but it will likely cause some delays.
“Up front, functions essential to national security and public safety will continue. The 90th Missile Wing team is attempting to minimize impacts and are working with the Air Force and Office of the Secretary of War,” Maj. Pat Gargan, F.E. Warren base spokesperson, wrote in a statement.
“Additionally, while we are hopeful for the timely passage of the FY26 Appropriations Bill to provide stable and predictable funding, it’s important to understand the potential impacts should the Department of the Air Force operate under a lapse of appropriation in FY26. A lapse in appropriation, depending on its length, can significantly impact our readiness, modernization efforts, and overall ability to maintain technological superiority.”
Gargan also noted that military personnel are not subject to furlough, and the number of civilians assigned to the 90th Missile Wing on furlough status is approximately 400.
Once funding is restored, furloughed civilian employees are expected to return to duty and resume their positions, Gargan wrote, not indicating any potential layoffs.
The Wyoming Air and Army National Guards could not provide furlough information prior to publication, but indicated in a statement that, “The Wyoming Military Department is implementing its shutdown plan to ensure critical missions continue while addressing the impact on soldiers, airmen, civilian employees and families.”
Air transportation
A peer-reviewed article from researchers from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2024 shows that rates of commercial aircraft accidents are not affected during a government shutdown, but they have delayed manufacturing inspections and accident investigations.
A CBS article published Wednesday reported that extended shutdowns in the past have led to airport worker shortages and delays.
Cheyenne Regional Airport Director of Aviation Tim Bradshaw said there is little to worry about.
He said the local air traffic controllers, who are members of the National Guard, are deemed essential workers, along with Transportation Security Administration workers.
“All the shutdowns I’ve been involved with, they’ve never really stopped air transportation,” he said.
City government
A relatively similar story has unfolded at the city level, as little impact is anticipated for funds locally.
City of Cheyenne Grants Manager Renee Smith said that Wednesday morning, just hours after the shutdown began, several of her scheduled meetings with federal partners had been canceled.
Other than that, she said there has been little impact on the grants the city receives, even the ones on the federal level, and she doesn’t anticipate things to get too bad. The worst she foresees at the city level is some delays in grant awards and application reviews.
Outdoors
Websites for national organizations like the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Forest Service were topped with a banner Wednesday that blamed the shutdown on “Radical Left Democrats” and indicated the website will be updated periodically during the funding lapse.
For these and other agencies, a September 2025 contingency plan outlines how they plan to handle the shutdown.
For the National Park Service, which maintains two national parks and several other sites in Wyoming, an anticipated 9,300 employees of 14,500 will be furloughed.
Roads, trails and open-air memorials generally remain accessible. Parks that collect recreation fees may use available fee balances to maintain limited services (restrooms, trash, road upkeep, emergency operations).
It is also unclear what this would mean for the economy of Wyoming’s national park gateway towns, which lean heavily on a tourism economy.
The Bureau of Land Management administers 18.4 million acres of public lands and 42.9 million acres of federal mineral estate for multiple use in Wyoming Energy development — particularly oil, gas and coal leasing — faces potential delays in permitting, inspections and approvals, though some fee-funded work may continue.
Recreation sites around areas like the Red Desert, Powder River Basin and High Plains may remain accessible but lack visitor services.
Similar impacts are expected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where endangered species monitoring, habitat restoration, surveys and other conservation work may be delayed or suspended in Wyoming and fire management in refuge lands will continue in a limited “initial attack” capacity, but prolonged drought or high fire risk seasons could strain this minimal capability.
