A funding bill impasse in Congress is increasing the possibility of a government shutdown, an event that could ripple through Maine.
The stalemate could affect 12,000 federal workers in the state, but not all would be furloughed. Those working air traffic controllers, Border Patrol and the Postal Service are deemed essential and would work without pay.
Workers at Acadia National Park would likely be furloughed, but it's unclear if the Trump administration will keep the park open to visitors, as it did during the last shutdown between 2018 and 2019.
Recipients of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will continue to receive benefits, but some services may be limited depending on the duration of a shutdown.
Mothers and young children who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC, food program could feel the effects sooner if the state doesn't step in to provide additional funding.
Republicans in Congress are pushing for a stopgap funding measure that would largely keep federal spending at existing levels until mid-November. But Democrats want to include an extension of health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year, affecting 54,000 Mainers.
