BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — This evening, the Senate released a bipartisan bill to keep the government stocked with financial resources until November 17, but that bill must pass in the House in order for it to be effective.
If the House does not pass the bill, the government will shut down on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023.
How exactly will the shutdown impact Arkansas?
A government shutdown would halt federally funded programs, possibly putting hundreds of thousands of federal workers in a tough financial position, but some government functions can continue operating for up to two weeks during a shutdown.
After that, students in higher education could see educational grant and student loan payment delays.
The White House says around 10,000 children from low-income families would lose access to the government-funded Head Start preschool program.
And the military might have to serve without pay.
Veteran Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough says payments for health care, benefits, and cemetery interments will continue for veterans while other important programs will not.
“We will not be in a position to do a lot of the outreach that has characterized the last year under the PACT Act, our in-person contact centers at our administration offices will be closed. We will not be in a position to maintain the grounds at our national cemeteries," McDonough said.
And with the bipartisan stopgap bill headed to the house, McDonough hopes to see a resemblance of VA support from last spring’s bipartisan bill between President Biden and Kevin McCarthy.
McDonough adds, "Support for VA programs, and VA care and VA benefits that veterans have earned, that's what we hope is the result."
But what won’t be impacted?
The United States Postal Service (USPS) will continue to run as usual because it is not funded by Congress.
And just like the last government shutdown, the Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) should see minimal to no changes.
XNA Public Affairs manager Olivia More says, "Honestly, things here at XNA likely won't change much. Our folks here at TSA, and in the Air Traffic Control Center have a great work ethic. They're diligent people who work hard, and they have a team player mindset. And so when the government shut down in 2019, we didn't really have any major delays or attendance issues."
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