Yes.
More than 34,000 federal employees in Arizona were either furloughed or required to work without pay during the 2025 government shutdown, according to an analysis from the Arizona AFL-CIO, a labor union organization. The White House Council of Economic Advisers has an even higher estimate: around 58,000 federal workers in Arizona, or 1.8% of the state’s workforce.
A prolonged shutdown could have broad impacts in Arizona. Its Gross State Product, or the total value of all goods produced in the state, could fall by about $296 million per week. SNAP benefits could also be interrupted, Social Security checks may be delayed, and funding for the Women, Infants, and Children program would cease immediately.
Federal employees who were not paid during the shutdown are entitled to receive back pay once the government reopens, under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
Sources
- Economic Impacts of the Government Shutdown in Arizona, White House Council of Economic Advisers
- Arizonans Can’t Afford the Trump Government Shutdown, AZ AFL-CIO
- S.24 – Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, Congress.Gov
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
