(From Todd Epp, Northern Plains News)
As Congress edges closer to a budget stalemate, South Dakota is staring down the barrel of real-world consequences. Federal paychecks, farm aid, and medical clinics face disruption if lawmakers can’t reach a deal by Wednesday, Oct. 1 — though some vital checks will still arrive, agency officials say.
How bad could it get? In South Dakota, 8,940 federal workers are on the job, excluding postal employees and certain law enforcement agencies, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Most could face unpaid furloughs or delayed pay, but critical staff — think TSA agents and prison guards — generally work straight through any shutdown.
Farmers and ranchers won’t be spared. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says new Farm Service Agency loans would be frozen and crop insurance claims could stack up, just as the state faces harvest. In recent years, the federal Risk Management Agency paid out $719 million to South Dakota producers in 2023 and $454.5 million through August 2024.
Tribal nations have felt the sting in past shutdowns. This time, Indian Health Service clinics should stay open, thanks to advance appropriations for 2025, Health and Human Services confirmed. It’s a major shift from 2018-19, when tribal care was threatened, and most facilities will now run on federal funding along with third-party billing and leftover resources.
Seniors collecting Social Security aren’t left out, either. Approximately 196,735 South Dakotans received checks last December, and those payments will continue, according to the Social Security Administration. However, individuals hoping to file a new claim or obtain a replacement card may wait significantly longer if the shutdown persists.
South Dakota’s signature parks may face locked doors. Visitor centers and interpretive programs at national sites, such as Badlands, Jewel Cave, and Mount Rushmore, could close, the National Park Service said, just as they did during previous shutdowns. Some areas, such as overlooks and roads, may remain open, but please note that concessions and ranger tours are not guaranteed. In 2013, South Dakota cut a deal to reopen Mount Rushmore briefly — but whether that happens again could depend on decisions made in Pierre and D.C.
Custer State Park, meanwhile, is state-owned and will remain open, according to the Game, Fish & Parks Department.
U.S. Sen. John Thune put it bluntly in a statement this week: “A shutdown could still be avoided if Democrats in Washington are willing to negotiate a realistic deal on spending as the deadline nears.” Thune called on lawmakers from both parties to find a solution before federal agencies go dark.
When the government closed its doors for 35 days in 2018-19 — the longest shutdown in history — food inspections fell behind, mortgage applicants waited, and many families missed their paychecks, the Congressional Budget Office reported.
