San Antonio leaders addressed local impacts of the federal government shutdown, emphasizing continued operation of city services and support for military families.
SAN ANTONIO — With tens of thousands of military members and federal civil servants at work here in San Antonio, the mayor and city manager held a joint briefing Wednesday afternoon to talk about the impact of the federal government’s shutdown on local families.
“We certainly recognize, as Military City USA, the number of military members and their families that are dealing with this uncertainty,” Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said. “On a personal level, having been a civil servant, I know this can be a very disconcerting time as you try to make economic decisions.”
Jones, who previously served as U.S. Air Force under secretary under then-President Joe Biden, said she is hoping for a quick resolution.
“Hopefully this is something that our federal leaders can quickly come to resolution on, given the American people – and certainly San Antonio – is relying on them to make sure that people are safe, people are healthy and people are well served,” Jones said.
What about other areas of the city?
City Manager Erik Walsh said this is the time of year when many eyes are on budget concerns.
“Today is the beginning of our fiscal year, October 1st, and in our fiscal year ’26 budget, we’re anticipating a little over $150 million in federal funding in a variety of different programs,” Walsh said.
He said it’s important to remember federal grants for many programs like Head Start, Metro Health, airport developments and more are reimbursement projects.
“All of our federal grants are reimbursements, it’s just the way the federal government does it. They look to local and state governments to spend the money and get reimbursed,” Walsh said. “So the short-term impact is nothing to us, and we will anticipate that, in the short term, as Washington DC continues to deal with this issue, operations and programs will continue.”
Walsh said the last federal shutdown lasted a little over 30 days. He believes local impacts won’t be felt unless this event lasts beyond two to three months.
Because airport operations impact so many, Walsh said they have made a concerted effort to ensure all programs run smoothly.
“The airport team have been in constant communication with TSA, Customs and Border Patrol, and FAA to ensure operations continue at the airport, and they are continuing to operate. And again, that’s due to the close coordination,” Walsh said.
The mayor and the government relations department will continue to keep close tabs on what is happening in Washington.
“We’re monitoring that and making sure that we have an opportunity to explain or share what potential impacts could be down the road,” Walsh said.
Jones said because many federal civil service workers are also military veterans, they are doing everything they can to make sure they are offering support.
“This is another impact to our civil servants, which disproportionately, I think, affects our veterans, so we’re looking at all of that and making sure that we are best supporting the federal workforce in and out of uniform here in our community,” Jones said.
Walsh said he knows his team will keep the city moving.
“All the programs are all continuing,” he said. “There is no impact on services that we’re doing with the public, whether it’s a capital project out at the airport or Head Start. Everybody’s got to go to school tomorrow, right? We’re going to continue to do that.”