Oregonians could see ‘minor delays’ to holiday travel if government shuts down

Oregonians traveling for the holidays could see minor delays if the government shuts down by the end of the day Friday.

The Port of Portland, which oversees the Portland International Airport, says essential federal workers “are required to continue working through the shutdown to minimize the impact to daily airport operations and travelers.”

Those include air traffic controllers and agents with the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“However, as we’ve seen in the past with prolonged shutdowns, there may be essential workers who aren’t able to work without pay, so travelers should be prepared for minor delays in case there are staffing shortages,” the Port said in a statement to OPB Thursday.

The potential shutdown comes as President-elect Donald Trump and his advisers, including Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, came out against a bipartisan bill that would fund the government.

The stopgap measure would have provided billions of dollars towards disaster aid, including funds for wildfires and drought, which have ravaged Oregon in recent years. It would also fund farm subsidies and give lawmakers a raise.

The response from the incoming Trump Administration forced Republicans, and notably House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to back out of the deal to try and reach a new compromise before funding runs out at the end of the day Friday.

As of Thursday afternoon, GOP lawmakers had come up with a new plan to keep the government running for three more months, which had Trump’s approval. But it was unclear whether Democrats were included in negotiations or would approve the new plan.

Related: Trump backs new GOP plan to fund government and raise debt limit as shutdown nears

Government shutdowns can have meaningful impacts on the lives of ordinary people, placing federal employees on furlough and leaving members of the military without pay. It can also place vital safety net services at risk. Here’s more about what a shutdown may mean.

2023: Shutdown narrowly avoided

All federal agencies are affected during a federal government shutdown. But each agency has its own contingency plan, so it’s hard to say exactly which services, activities or workers will be affected. Those impacts also depend on how long the shutdown lasts.

As a shutdown loomed in September 2023, OPB answered some of the specific questions gathered from a local audience.

A brief federal shutdown is not likely to dramatically change the day-to-day lives of Oregonians. Travel is likely to continue as usual. People should continue receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits, and veterans’ health care, as usual.

Related: 2023: What a shutdown would mean

If a shutdown drags on for several weeks, services could be interrupted. Federal public safety workers are expected to continue working, although they may not get paid until the shutdown ends.

Many of the federal employees who are not considered essential will stop working and will not be paid. Those include administrative and part-time workers for agencies like the Forest Service. Federal contractors and businesses that rely on government spending also might lose income during an extended shutdown.

Members of Congress will still be paid during a shutdown.

The White House estimated in 2023 that a shutdown would have led to delays in about 2,000 disaster recovery projects across the country, including 80 in Oregon. This time around, one of the sticking points is more than $100 billion in emergency aid, with a heavy focus on hurricane damage recovery in the southeast. It’s not yet clear which Oregon recovery projects would be impacted, if any.

The Department of the Interior has not yet announced whether it would close national parks in the event of a shutdown, like it did last year.

The government narrowly avoided a shutdown in 2023 by passing a stopgap spending bill three hours before the deadline.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.