REPORT: Hawai‘i 4th Most Affected by Government Shutdown

According to personal-finance website WalletHub, Hawai‘i is the fourth most affected state by the government shutdown.

With the U.S. government closed for business for the 21st time since 1976, this time with a partial shutdown, WalletHub released its report on Jan. 3, 2019, on the States Most & Least Affected by the 2019 Government Shutdown to add some hard data to all the rhetoric.

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia in terms of five key metrics, ranging from each state’s share of federal jobs to federal contract dollars per capita to the share of families receiving food stamps.

Impact of the Government Shutdown on Hawai‘i (1=Most Affected, 25=Avg.)

1st – Share of Federal Jobs
17th – Federal Contract Dollars Per Capita
1st – Real Estate as a Percentage of Gross State Product
9th – Access to National Parks
29th – % of Families Receiving SNAP (Food Stamps)

As the clock struck midnight Dec. 22, 2018, the United States government shut down for the 21st time in history. This time, it’s a less-intense partial shutdown, which occurs when Congress fails to pass necessary appropriations bills. The partial shutdown has lasted into the New Year, hitting the thirteen-day mark on Jan. 3, 2019. For context, the longest shutdown ever was 21 days under President Bill Clinton, and only seven shutdowns have ever lasted 10 days or longer. This is the third shutdown under the Trump Administration, but the previous ones lasted only one day and three days, respectively.

When the government shuts down, certain federal employees work without pay or receive a furlough. This includes over 41,000 law enforcement officers, 52,000 IRS workers and 96% of NASA employees. “Non-essential” government services also remain inactive and certain benefits are liable to run out of funding. One of the main issues keeping the government in a partial shutdown at the moment is President Trump’s call for increased border security and funding for a border wall, to which Democrats in Congress remain opposed.

Some states are hit harder by a government shutdown than others. To determine the places most affected by the 2019 partial shutdown, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across five key metrics. They range from each state’s share of federal jobs to federal contract dollars per capita to the share of families receiving food stamps. You can check out the findings below.

For information on the study’s methodology, click here.

States Most & Least Affected by a Government Shutdown

Image: JPL Designs / Shutterstock.com

Red vs. Blue States

Image: JPL Designs / Shutterstock.com