SANDPOINT — After Congress failed to pass a funding extension, the U.S. federal government has shut down, leaving thousands working without pay and a wide range of services of impacted.

Federal departments are required to continue operations that “protect life and property,” like TSA and air traffic controllers who will continue working without pay. During a shutdown, Social Security payments, veteran health care clinics and Medicare coverage will continue. 

The U.S. Postal Service will continue operations, as it is funded by its sales and products and not tax revenue.   

North Idaho will be faced with reduced access to U.S. Forest Service lands, which surround both Bonner and Boundary counties because of the shutdown. The Sandpoint Ranger District, which oversees most of the federal land in Bonner County, will be closed until funding resumes.  

Similarly, the Bonners Ferry Ranger District’s offices are closed for the shutdown. According to a message on their voicemail, the campgrounds it oversees will remain open to the public but will not have running water.  

According to the USFS’s shutdown plan, the agency will continue responding to wildfires and protecting the federal lands during the shutdown. 

The plan expects 12,744 Forest Service workers to be furloughed for the duration of the shutdown. The process of closing operations in the USFS could put a pause on timber sale operations in North Idaho as well, according to the department’s shutdown plan. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Seattle District announced on Wednesday morning that the shutdown forced them to postpone the Albeni Falls Dam open house. A new date will be announced once a funding bill is passed, according to the press release. 

The USACE said in a subsequent press release that the Albeni Falls Dam will continue operating normally as critical infrastructure. 

“We are assessing the shutdown’s full impacts and will keep the public informed as the situation evolves,” said Col. Kathryn Sanborn, Seattle District commander. “Our top priority is the continued safe operation of our infrastructure and will continue to carry out mission-critical activities that directly support national security and the economy.” 

One of the agencies hardest hit by the shutdown is the U.S. Department of Education, which will furlough 87% of its workforce. The department will continue to disperse student aid and grant funds that were awarded over the summer, according to the agency's shutdown report. 

Federal funds play a significant role in the budgets for the area’s local school districts. The Lake Pend Oreille School District budgeting for around $3.5 million and West Bonner County School District budgeting for $1.3 million for fiscal year 2026. 

In addition to those operations continuing, the department is still expecting individuals to continue payments on their student loans.  

Many of the day-to-day operations at the Department of Homeland Security are set to continue, including patrolling the northern border. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” provided $2.1 billion for border crossings, which could allow the department to pay employees during the shutdown. 

This government shutdown marks the first in seven years, with the most recent coming in 2019 under President Donald Trump’s first term. That shutdown stretched on for 35 days, the longest in the nation’s history. 

Before the shutdown, the Office of Mangement and Budget released a memo telling agencies to prepare for large-scale firings of federal workers during the shutdown. It is unknown what positions will be affected, but continued layoffs could impact services used by Bonner County residents.