Across Maine, people are feeling the effects of the government shutdown. As many as 12,000 federal workers are impacted, with approximately 4,500 furloughed, while the other workers, deemed “essential,” are working without pay. The Trump administration announced mass firings in various departments throughout the state, and many federal workers are unsure whether they will be rehired once the government reopens. However, the state has been assisting through programs offering no-interest loans to furloughed federal employees. They can also apply for state unemployment benefits, but they have to repay the funds if back pay is sent after.
It is less likely that the government will impact York schools. They are funded mostly through local funding. In the 2021-2022 school year, local sources made up 83.5% of funding, and state and federal sources filled in the rest. Even so, other schools in Maine have suffered from funding cuts, which have mainly impacted outreach programs, such as Head Start, which provides food to children and teachers, or the special education department, where there are many layoffs.
Maine is normally still flooded with tourists, but, because of the shutdown, though the past shutdown resulted in a loss of visitor spending nationwide, this pattern is likely to repeat itself. Acadia National Park is only partially open because of the furloughs in the department and the loss of funding. This could result in a loss of about $1.5 million for October, when the fall foliage tourism rush is at its peak.
The government shutdown plays less of a role in York because the town relies less on government funding. Still, the White House estimates that a prolonged shutdown might cost Maine around $51 million every week in lost economic activity.
