The longer the federal shutdown lasts, the more Minnesotans could feel the pain.
When Washington shut down, it shut off millions of dollars that should have been flowing into state agencies, services, schools and paychecks.
The governor has assembled an emergency task force to try to identify which state agencies and programs are in danger of running out of money first, and prepare Minnesotans for the potential loss of those services. State officials say there's no way for the state to make up for that loss, so when the money starts to run out for things like the school lunch program, Minnesotans may have to do without.
"What we passionately hope is that the federal government will come together and figure out how to get its bills paid," said Tina Smith, chief of staff to Gov. Mark Dayton. "We are not in a position where we can just fill gaps that are created by their political breakdowns."
During a conference call with reporters, state officials pointed out just how closely federal funds are twined in the state economy.
Some 19,000 Minnesotans work for the federal government and more than 3,000 state employees are primarily funded by Washington. The longer the shutdown lasts, the longer those people will go without paychecks.
A quarter of the state budget comes from federal funds. More, in the case of agencies like the Department of Education, which gets 60 percent of its funding from Washington – including the funds that allow schools to offer free and reduced lunches and breakfasts to needy children.
Minnesota relies on federal funding for everything from meat inspections to salaries for the National Guard – more than a thousand Guard employees have been furloughed already.
