The Federal Government Shutdown & the PIA Western Alliance States

At the time this story is being written, the U.S. federal government is still shutdown and has been for 19 days. There is no end in sight. In 2018 and 2019 the federal government was shutdown for 35 days so we aren’t close to hitting a record length.

So far the 11th shutdown since 1976 has about 900,000 federal workers on furlough and 700,000 are working without pay. What is currently in doubt is whether those furloughed workers will get back pay.

The impact on the economy is estimated at about $400 million per day.

Some states have more federal workers than other states. Chip Lupo of WalletHub said his company tracked which states are hardest hit and four of the 10 most impacted states are the PIA Western Alliance states of Hawaii, New Mexico, Alaska and Arizona.

The District of Columbia — to no one’s surprise — is the hardest hit area in the country.

WalletHub’s criteria for determining the impact included how many federal jobs are in each state and what kind of income does that employment bring to a state.

“The latest government shutdown makes life stressful for people across the U.S., but places like D.C. and Hawaii, where a high percentage of residents work directly for the government or have government contracts, are getting hit the hardest,” Lupo said. “States with a lot of residents who receive SNAP benefits, such as New Mexico, also could be in a dire situation if money for this vital program runs out before the gridlock ends. Plus, states with real-estate dependent economies are suffering from federal delays in mortgage processing, and states with a lot of national parks may hurt their tourism and revenue by not being able to offer certain park services.”

Here are the top 10 most impacted states according to WalletHub.

1. District of Columbia

Score: 76.33

2. Hawaii

Score: 71.63

3. New Mexico

Score: 71.31

4. Alaska

Score: 70.32

5. Maryland

Score: 67.94

6. Virginia

Score: 59.06

7. West Virginia

Score: 51.52

8. Alabama

Score: 45.49

9. Oklahoma

Score: 40.87

10. Arizona

Score: 39.98

The rest of The PIA Western Alliance states:

14. Montana

Score: 37.79

18. Nevada

Score: 35.12

21. Washington

Score: 33.95

28. Oregon

Score: 31.59

33. Idaho

Score: 28.52

38. California

Score: 27.21

WalletHub says the most federal jobs are in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Hawaii. The PIA Western Alliance state of Alaska ranks 2nd. As for federal dollars per capita, the District of Columbia, the PIA Western Alliance state of New Mexico, Virginia, Maryland and Connecticut are all tied for 1st.

The PIA Western Alliance state of Oregon has one of the lowest numbers of federal workers in the country and ranks 49th.

When it comes to blue state vs red state impact. The blue states have federal government employment hitting 24.5%. The red states sit 26.97%.

Source link: WalletHub — https://bit.ly/42T9SSy