BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — The federal government officially shut down Wednesday, immediately affecting vital services that residents across Central Texas rely on daily.
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More than 249,000 federal employees work in Texas alone, according to Cheryl Eliano, District 10 Vice President of the American Federation of Government Employees.
"So just think about that. Just think about how many jobs that may be impacted, and then how many services are impacted by that," Eliano said.
The shutdown comes after Congress failed to reach a budget deal, creating ripple effects throughout the Bryan-College Station area.
"Federal workers across our state have already endured the hiring freezes, rifts, and cuts at offices like the Department of Defense, Department of Education, and every other public service job," Eliano said.
Texas A&M University leaders say operations continue for now. Alan Sams, the provost and executive vice president, shared a statement saying:
"Currently, the university is operating on a normal basis. We will continue using available funds in support of work related to federally funded research contracts and grants. If there is a government shutdown, the initial short-term impacts are anticipated to be minimal, and we will monitor them closely."
Eliano hopes lawmakers will act quickly to resolve the shutdown.
"I'm hoping that they can sign a budget and let's move on, you know, and all of the employees get back to work and we could work on whatever is broken," Eliano said.
The American Federation of Government Employees plans to continue advocating for federal workers through multiple channels.
"We'll continue to fight in the courts, on the streets, in the news, whatever we need to do to send our message to our lawmakers to do their job. Do your job. Do right by the people," Eliano said.
It remains unclear how long the shutdown will last.
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