Aloha, Friend.
At midnight DC time, our federal government began to shut down because Congress and the President failed to pass the legislation necessary to keep our federal government open and operating in our new Fiscal Year 2026.
This is beyond deeply disappointing; it is disgusting. This was completely avoidable, and passing the necessary legislation remains completely doable. While I continue to work with likeminded colleagues on Capitol Hill to fund and fully reopen government, I want to provide some basic information on what’s going on, why and how it may affect you, answer some questions and provide some resources.
Most directly, my staff and I remain on the job, and my DC and Honolulu offices remain open throughout the shutdown to perform our legislative duties and help Hawai‘i and my constituents. If you have questions or are facing issues with federal services during the shutdown, please reach out to my office at (808) 650-6688 or contact me here. We will do all we can to help you and others navigate this inexcusable shutdown.
What Is A Federal Government Shutdown. A federal government shutdown occurs when federal government functions are not funded. This can occur at the end of a federal fiscal year (September 30th), when by law Congress must have passed and the President must have signed the federal funding measures for the new fiscal year. If that doesn’t happen, or a continuing resolution (CR) is not instead enacted for temporary funding while the regular process is completed, then there is no authorized funding and the shutdown commences.
In that event, federal government functions are classified as essential or non-essential. Essential functions continue as essential federal employees and contractors remain on the job, though without pay. Non-essential functions are suspended and non-essential federal employees are furloughed without pay. Many government contracts are suspended, which often forces some companies to furlough their employees as well.
Various government functions like national defense, transportation and border security are considered essential. Disaster relief services largely continue. Services that are independently funded outside of the yearly appropriations cycle, such as Social Security, passports, the U.S. Postal Service operations and Medicare, continue. Functions that are not considered essential and will suspend include the Small Business Administration (for processing new, non-emergency loans), our national parks and the National Institutes of Health.
Two reports from the Congressional Research Service explaining federal shutdowns are here and here.
Why Is This Shutdown Occurring And What Is The Solution. The President and his Congressional colleagues are in control of Congress, and they are shutting down the government to avoid critical action needed to prevent huge health care cost increases as well as loss of health care coverage for tens of millions of Americans, including tens of thousands of our own in Hawai‘i. Without action, we will see the imminent expiration at the end of this year of key enhanced health insurance premium benefits for those most in need, resulting in doubling of insurance costs and loss of coverage.
The solution is clearly a bipartisan compromise agreement for the good of the country that continues both overall government funding and literally life-and-death health care assistance to tens of millions of Americans. There are lots of ways to do this, and I’ve spent the recent days with like-minded colleagues walking through and advocating for various options under which we could surmount the deep partisanship and crippling my-way-or-the-highway division and achieve a bipartisan compromise vote. Until that happens (and with mutual commitment it can happen in just days), we must deal with the current shutdown as best we can.
Shutdown Effects On Hawaii’s Federal Workers And Contractors. The most immediate effects of a federal government shutdown are borne unfairly by our Hawaii’s federal workers and contractors and their families.
There are some 24,000 federal civilians working in our Hawai‘i, with roughly 19,000 of them working for our military. There are also around 47,000 servicemembers in Hawai‘i, plus their families. Further, there are thousands of contractors, grant recipients and others in Hawai‘i whose jobs are tied to our federal government.
Federal employees whose responsibilities include essential services must work without pay until the shutdown ends, while non-essential federal employees will be furloughed without pay. Because of the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, which I helped pass into law in 2019, furloughed and essential federal employees are guaranteed to receive backpay once the shutdown ends.
Federal agencies have crafted shutdown plans that offer some guidance to employees, contractors and grant recipients. You can review these plans from the respective agencies here. If you cannot find the information you need, please contact me.
President Trump has also stated that in the event of a shutdown he will initiate reductions-in-force (RIFs, or outright terminations of employment) throughout the federal workforce. This is unnecessary (as federal workers will either be working without pay or furloughed), intended to intimidate and punish, likely illegal and just cruel. His administration has not provided any further details.
Other Shutdown Effects. Shutdowns are disruptive and chaotic to federal government, so it is hard to predict exactly where and how this shutdown will affect what, especially under a disruptive and chaotic administration. The best projection is that most current essential services and those funded outside the regular appropriations process will continue (although it will be hard to get questions answered due to disrupted federal staffing), but that services, projects and grants in the non-essential parts of government will be increasingly curtailed.
President Trump has suggested that in the event of a shutdown he would consider cutting federal benefits. This is irresponsible and likely illegal as benefits are mandated and not subject to being cut at Presidential whim, but as we have seen elsewhere that doesn’t mean he won’t attempt to cut or curtail some benefits anyway.
Frequently Asked Questions. Here are answers to some frequent questions about shutdowns:
How long will this shutdown last?
It is unclear. Some shutdowns last less than a day, while the longest one, in the first Trump administration in 2018-2019, went on for over a month. Again, with mutual commitment to a bipartisan compromise, this one could be over within days. I will do my best to update you throughout this process, and again please be assured that my office will remain open.
I am a federal employee. Will I receive back pay?
After the 2018-2019 shutdown, Congress passed the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, which requires retroactive pay for furloughed and essential employees following the end of a government shutdown. Generally, benefits such as health insurance continue during a shutdown; however, federal employees may need to wait until they are returned to pay status before adjusting their benefits.
What does this mean for disaster relief efforts?
Federal Emergency Management Agency staff will still respond to emergencies, and agencies involved in disaster response will continue their work.
