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If federal government shuts down, Maine may tap cash surplus — but only if they can be repaid

FILE - Doors at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building are locked and covered with blinds as a sign posted advises that the office will be closed during the partial government shutdown Jan. 16, 2019, in Seattle. The federal government is heading toward a shutdown at month's end that will disrupt many services, squeeze workers and roil politics. It comes as Republicans in the House, fueled by hard-right demands for deep cuts, force a confrontation over federal spending.
Elaine Thompson
/
AP
FILE - Doors at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building are locked and covered with blinds as a sign posted advises that the office will be closed during the partial government shutdown Jan. 16, 2019, in Seattle. The federal government is heading toward a shutdown at month's end that will disrupt many services, squeeze workers and roil politics. It comes as Republicans in the House, fueled by hard-right demands for deep cuts, force a confrontation over federal spending.

Maine could tap its cash reserves to cover programs affected by a possible shutdown of the federal government, but a spokesperson for Gov. Janet Mills' budget office says the state would need assurances that those monies would be repaid.

Maine has about $1.2 billion in available cash, but the spokesperson said it's too soon to say when it would need to utilize those funds or for how long it could if there's a protracted shutdown.

That's because the Mills administration is still awaiting guidance from the federal government about what funding streams might be affected by a shutdown, if one occurs this weekend.

Additionally, the state would want to know that its cash reserves would be replenished by the U.S. government if used to cover program expenses typically paid with federal dollars.

Maine's budget is more reliant on federal money than most states, ranking 13th overall when counting federal dollars as a percentage of its revenues two years ago.

Journalist Steve Mistler is Maine Public’s chief politics and government correspondent. He is based at the State House.