The federal government shut down Wednesday morning at 12:01 a.m. after Democrats and Republicans in Washington, D.C. failed to reach a funding agreement — the first shutdown since the longest in history ended in 2019.
Statewide, nearly 190,000 federal workers were expected to be furloughed, including thousands in the Bay Area, where a slew of federal office buildings are located. So would about 213,000 military personnel in the state, according a tally kept by Democratic members of Congress.
In the Bay Area, some federal parks and facilities were closed Wednesday. Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County is closed, as is Alcatraz Island. The Stinson Beach parking lot is closed as well. Fort Mason park headquarters in San Francisco was closed, but other facilities there were open.
In San Mateo County, the Mori Point access road was closed. Other sites there were closed, including Milagra Ridge, Rancho Corral de Tierra and Phleger Estate.
Postal offices were open, and residents should still expect to receive mail during the federal shutdown.
Democrats withheld their votes for Republican’s resolution to temporarily fund the federal government, seeking to restore billions of dollars in health care spending. After lawmakers missed the fundraising deadline, President Donald Trump and his allies in Congress immediately cast blame on Democrats: the White House website declared that “Democrats have shut down the government,” alongside a timer of the shutdown’s length.
Democrats said they’re taking a stand against untenable cuts to health care spending under Republicans’ watch, including the sunset of an Obamacare tax credit that has made health care more affordable for millions of Americans.
“Republicans have shut down the government after refusing to work with Democrats to ensure the American people have access to healthcare they need and deserve,” Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who represents San Jose and a swath of central California, said in a statement.
Trump has threatened to fire federal workers en masse and warned that the administration could focus on programs that are important to Democrats, “cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.