How a government shutdown affects San Diego industries

The government shutdown is dragging on, and reports from Capitol Hill about when it might possibly end remain unclear.

The potential effects of a long-term government shutdown would be felt across San Diego County, but how much is reliant on how long. 

Here’s a look at what is affected, how the county is preparing and what was learned from the 35-day shutdown in 2018. 

Active duty military

During a government shutdown, active-duty military members are required to work, even without pay.

If the federal government fails to compromise by the Oct. 15 military payday, more than 1.5 million active duty members will be missing a paycheck. That includes more than 115,000 personnel stationed in San Diego.

The San Diego Military Action Group has partnered with four additional non-profits around San Diego to assist military families in need. 

“We’re very concerned that there doesn’t seem to be any compromise, at least at this point…this thing could last for weeks and months,” David Boone, president and chief executive officer of SDMAC, said.

“We’re going to see the community take more and more of a toll as time passes.”

SDMAC has been preparing for a government shutdown since 2024, when threats of a shutdown lingered but never arrived. At that time, they established the Emergency Action Group, working with the Support The Enlisted Project, Zero8Hundred, Armed Services YMCA, and Feeding San Diego to combine resources in preparation to support military families. 

Now, they’re putting those preparation plans to use. 

“It was the second week of September, and we were starting to see the writing on the wall. We got together and said, ‘Ok, here we go,’” Boone said. 

SDMAC urges military families in need to visit the “government shutdown” tab on their website to view available resources. 

Carissa Casares, communication director for Feeding San Diego, said that the nonprofit is preparing for food distribution as Oct. 15 quickly approaches. 

“We already have food distribution on military bases, near military housing, and at schools that have a high percentage of military families,” Casares said. “We’d be tapping into those [resources] that already exist, providing more food and increasing frequency.”

National parks

Cabrillo National Monument is currently closed to the public. During the last record-breaking shutdown of 2018, the park closed its gates for the full 35 days.   

In a release from the National Parks Conservation Association, president and chief executive officer Theresa Pierno urged national parks to shut down amidst a wave of underfunding, understaffing and vulnerability.

“NPCA will not stand by and watch history repeat itself…We know what happened last time park staff were forced to leave parks open and unprotected, and the impacts were disastrous,” Pierno said. 

“If the federal government shuts down, unfortunately, our parks should too.” 

National parks have more on their plates than they did six years ago, which includes fighting for a place in the federal budget after swarms of funding cuts since the start of the second Trump administration.

In May, the administration proposed cutting more than $1 billion of the national parks budget, which is a third of its $3.1 billion budget for 2025.

Democrats oppose the budget cuts.

“The numbers speak for themselves. Proposed cuts of this magnitude could shutter at least 350 national park sites across the country, effectively more than 75% of our park system,” Pierno said.

Air Travel 

Flight delays may affect travel plans for San Diegans, as the government is expected to furlough more than 11,000 FAA employees. Some essential employees will still work without pay.

While air travel won’t come to a halt, longer wait times may be expected. At the San Diego International Airport, flights are running on schedule and aren’t experiencing widespread delays at the moment.

In 2018, staffing shortages surged as the shutdown dragged on. Shortages caused a ground stop at LaGuardia Airport in New York, and an entire terminal to shut down at Miami International Airport. 

Shortly before the most recent shutdown, the U.S. Travel Association warned of the detrimental effects of a government shutdown on the travel economy. President and chief executive officer Geoff Freeman recalled how the 2018 shutdown had vast repercussions. 

“A shutdown is a wholly preventable blow to America’s travel economy – costing $1 billion every week – and affecting millions of travelers and businesses while placing unnecessary strain on an already overextended federal travel workforce,” Freeman said.