Federal shutdown impacts on Washington state government
We continue to gather and analyze information from state agencies on the impact of the federal shutdown on Washington state government services. Information on impacts and resources for workers and Washingtonians will be posted here as they become available.
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Dept. of Social and Health Services (DSHS)
Update, Oct. 31: DSHS is working to interpret Friday’s court rulings and awaiting guidance from USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service to get food benefits issued as soon as possible.
Update, Oct. 29: If the federal government shutdown continues, food assistance benefits in Washington may end on Oct. 31, 2025. Losing food assistance will have devastating impacts on the well-being of hundreds of thousands of Washington residents and will hurt local economies across the state. DSHS has more information about the impacts as well as what clients can do to prepare for the loss of benefits:
- Partial federal government shutdown
- Gov. Ferguson moves $2.2 million per week to support food banks ahead of federal SNAP cutoff (Oct. 28)
Dept. of Health (DOH)
- Federal government shutdown (updated FAQ)
- Dept. of Health: Federal shutdown jeopardizes critical support for infants, children, and pregnant people (Oct.1)
Employment Security Dept. (ESD)
Food bank resources
Find a local food bank or pantry:
- Food Access Network – Northwest Harvest
- Access Food Near You | Washington State Department of Agriculture or call 360-725-5640.
- 211 Washington map of food pantries/banks or call 211, a free, confidential service that helps connect people with resources.
- Your local county may have more comprehensive lists of food resources.
Dept. of Financial Institutions (DFI)
Employment Security Dept. (ESD)
- Second webinar set for Oct. 30 for federal workers and others affected by the federal government shutdown (Oct. 24)
- Federal government shutdown: Employment Security ready to help impacted workers (Oct. 1)