Federal Shutdown Puts 95,000 Florida Workers at Risk as Leaders Clash Over Blame

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The federal government is in shutdown mode for the first time in nearly seven years, with Florida bracing for widespread impacts. While essential services like defense, homeland security, and hurricane forecasting will continue— roughly 95,000 federal workers in the state, according to members of Congress, face furloughs or the prospect of working without pay.

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The stalemate in Washington stems from Republican-led efforts to roll back Medicaid spending and phase out Affordable Care Act tax credits that expanded health coverage during COVID. Democrats warn those changes would devastate Florida, where more people rely on ACA plans than in any other state.

“Our state has the most amount of people on the Affordable Care Act in the entire country, by far,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL10). “This… will decimate healthcare for our own people in the state of Florida. And so this is a fight worth having.”

Republicans reject that argument, saying Democrats are prioritizing benefits for undocumented immigrants — despite federal law already restricting access.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that the government would shut down … because we wouldn’t prioritize illegal immigrants over Americans,” said Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL6) in an online post.

The partisan divide has Florida leaders openly trading blame. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL25) accused Republicans of “going on vacation” while Democrats push for a deal. Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL1), by contrast, called it “the Schumer shutdown,” warning that tens of thousands of civilian and military personnel at Eglin Air Force Base, Hurlburt Field, and Duke Field are directly affected.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida’s controversial immigration operations — including deportation flights from Baker County and South Florida — will continue regardless.

“When they say the government shuts down, it really doesn’t shut down,” he said. “The immigration mission is obviously an essential function, and so they’re going to continue operating those flights.”

Other federal functions, however, may not fare as well. Flood insurance sales are paused, potentially slowing home closings in coastal communities. FEMA faces heightened strain, with Democratic congressional candidate Dr. Darren McAuley warning that “a government in shutdown in the middle of hurricane season in Central Florida is a terrible idea.”

Air traffic controllers and TSA officers will continue screening passengers, but past shutdowns have left many working without pay. And with the labor market already showing signs of weakness, economists caution this shutdown could sting more than past episodes.

“This is a precarious time,” Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate, told CNN. “Having the lack of visibility on the job market is extremely inopportune.”

The last government shutdown stretched 35 days in late 2018 and early 2019, the longest in U.S. history. For now, Floridians are waiting to see how long this one lasts — and how deep the impacts may go.

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