A federal shutdown will hit Indiana residents and workers. Here’s how

Federal employees across Indiana will be furloughed or forced to work without pay beginning Wednesday after Congress failed to fund the government, leading to a shutdown.

While the largest share of federal employees are in Washington, D.C., there are civilian workers around the country, including those working in areas such as law enforcement, federal courts, the postal service, transportation security and veterans affairs. 

How many federal workers are in Indiana?

About 24,000 civilians in Indiana worked for the federal government as of September 2024, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service. 

The U.S. General Services Administration manages space in more than 150 buildings in Indiana, according to its website. That includes the Major General Emmett J. Bean Federal Center in Lawrence, which houses staff for the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

The largest number of federal civilian workers live in the Southern Indiana congressional districts represented by Republican Reps. Mark Messmer (IN-8) and Erin Houchin (IN-9), as well as the district represented by Democratic Rep. André Carson (IN-7), which encompasses most of Indianapolis, according to the CRS report. 

What will stop during a shutdown?

When the federal government shuts down, many employees are told not to work. But people in jobs that are considered essential — such as law enforcement and air traffic control — are required to continue working without pay. 

Although airport security should continue to operate, there may be disruption for travelers if the shutdown is prolonged. More federal workers called in sick during the 2018-19 shutdown, according to NPR.

The U.S. Postal Service should continue to operate normally during a shutdown because it is self-funded by selling goods and services. 

Under a 2019 law, federal employees — including those who are furloughed — receive retroactive pay once the shutdown ends, according to the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan think tank. 

But this time around, the federal government might go beyond furloughing employees. NPR reported that the White House instructed federal agencies to prepare to permanently lay off workers.

Contact WFYI Education Reporter Dylan Peers McCoy at dmccoy@wfyi.org.