GAITHERSBURG, Md. -- With a potential government shutdown fast approaching this weekend -- thanks to a budget standoff between Speaker of the House John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and President Barack Obama -- few states will be harder hit than Maryland.
A significant portion of Washington's workforce resides in the Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C., and for those federal employees and contractors, uncertainty means a lower morale and fears of a prolonged political fight with serious financial repercussions for the region.
Here are a couple effects of a government shutdown in Maryland:
The federal government is a major regional employer
According to the American Community Survey and/or the Puerto Rico Community Survey conducted in 2006, 278,906 federal employees live in Maryland. Over the Potomac River, 294,808 employees lived in Virginia while an additional 50,010 live in Washington D.C. itself.
Further, thousands of government contractors also reside in the neighboring Montgomery, Prince George's, Howard, and Frederick counties. Regionally, some estimates claim as much as one-third of all employees are part of the federal workforce, according to the Washington Examiner. Although some employees will be exempted due to their essential work in national defense, air-traffic control, or emergency medical care, the vast majority of them will be furloughed. Putting further strain on budgets, it remains uncertain whether federal employees will be reimbursed for their time off, as occurred during the government shutdown of 1995 to 1996.
Some of the major federal employers in Maryland itself include the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA) with its headquarters in Silver Spring, the United States Census Bureau in Suitland, and the NASA space research lab at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt.
Also impacted immediately will be vendors, restaurants, and entertainment-related businesses serving government employees. The longer the shutdown continues, the longer those businesses and others reliant on local spending habits will be impacted by the financial fallout.
Cherry Blossom Festival affected
As spring begins, the national parks would be closed to the public, meaning those avenues of income and support for the local economy will also be lost. National parks in Maryland include Glen Echo Park, portions of the Appalachian Trail, and Antietam National Battlefield. The heavily traveled Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park would also be closed.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival, part of which takes place over the possible shutdown weekend, could also be delayed or canceled as it takes place on National Park Service land. Thus far, its status, like that of many federal employees, remains uncertain though the street festival would likely be unaffected.
Shawn Humphrey is a former contributor to The Flint Journal and lives near Washington D.C. in Maryland.
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