Colorado braces for impacts of federal shutdown, funds WIC

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(The Center Square) – As the federal government enters its sixth day of shutdown, Colorado officials are taking steps to ensure taxpayer-funded services in the state continue without disruption.

“I’m closely monitoring the impacts of this federal government shutdown on our state, and taking action where possible to mitigate harm to Coloradans and our communities,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

Early estimates for how Coloradans could be impacted by the shutdown included 52,000 service members working without pay, nearly 90,000 residents losing access to food assistance and 44,000 federal employees working without pay.

When the federal government did not come to a budget compromise, ultimately leading to a shutdown which began last Wednesday, the Colorado state government decided to step in to keep the USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children funded. It ran out of federal funding on Sept. 30.

Colorado’s Joint Budget Committee unanimously approved a request from Polis’ office for the state to fund one month of WIC benefits from its General Fund. The total needed for that was $7.5 million.

“I am pleased that, in partnership with the JBC, we were able to secure emergency funding so that families who rely on WIC do not see an abrupt end to benefits, which would be devastating for women and children,” Polis said.

Many states across the nation took similar steps, though some did not have the funds to run the program for a whole month.

Yet WIC is just one way Coloradans have been affected by the shutdown.

While the state predicts that there should not be any major impacts to state-run programs or the state government workforce in this first week of the shutdown, it says the impact will grow as the shutdown continues.

“The state cannot fill the void left by the federal government, and if they do not reopen the government and save health care for Coloradans, the consequences will be dire,” Polis said.

On the other hand, Colorado’s eight national parks have been able to remain operational. They're under directives from the National Park Service to stay open for as long as fee revenues allow. The state said it will continue to monitor the situation.

This is the first time the U.S. government has shut down since 2018, and both Republicans and Democrats are passing blame.

U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colorado, said House Republicans have done their job.

“Democrats abandoned the American people, played political games, and forced a shutdown over a $1.5 trillion spending spree and free healthcare for illegal immigrants,” Evans said, in a statement following the shutdown. “Amid this Democrat-led shutdown, House Republicans will continue to uphold our commitment to the American people by working on the issues that matter the most to them.”

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 a budget and end the government shutdown.

U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, both Democrats from Colorado, voted against the budget proposed by Republicans.

“They can try to spin it all they want, but Republicans own this shutdown,” Hickenlooper said Monday. “We put forth a plan to lower health care costs, and keep the government open. They blocked it.”