Federal shutdown: How will it impact county services on Long Island?
The U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Oct. 1. Credit: Bloomberg/Kent Nishimura
As two sides in Washington dig in on a stalemate to reopen the federal government, the ramifications for county governments won’t be drastic initially, county officials said.
But an extended federal shutdown, which began Wednesday after the Senate failed to pass a funding bill, could begin to impact the local economy and dry up funding used for critical social services initiatives, officials said.
"We are very concerned about this," Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, a Republican, said Friday at an unrelated news conference. "Government should operate. Government should not shut down. It's unfortunate that it's come to that and everybody has to play chicken."
What immediate impact does the shutdown have on county governments?
During the first few days of a shutdown, there's little direct impact on county governments.
"We are monitoring this situation carefully, but on day [three] we don’t have a large impact," Romaine said.
Suffolk Legis. Steven Flotteron (R-Brightwaters), the deputy presiding officer and chairman of the Budget & Finance Committee, said the shutdown is not "directly affecting the operations of Suffolk County that I know of," while acknowledging it can be "hurtful" to some residents.
Flotteron said he doesn’t envision the federal shutdown impacting Suffolk’s 2026 proposed budget, which is under review by legislators this month.
A spokesman for Nassau County did not respond to questions about the shutdown's impact.
How much federal money do Long Island counties receive?
Nassau County receives hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid each year, totaling about 6% of its operating budget (it has $218 million in its budget this year), according to budget records. Most of that funding goes to Health and Human Services programs that provide health care, food and cash assistance.
A spokesman for the county did not respond to questions about whether any of these programs were at risk of being cut. Questions sent to the Office of the Nassau County Comptroller related to SNAP benefits, emergency rental assistance and other programs funded through federal aid were referred to the Department of Social Services. The department’s commissioner did not respond Friday.
Suffolk County’s 2026 recommended operating budget released in late September includes $274 million in federal aid, which accounts for 5% of total revenue. The county budgeted about $296 million in federal aid in 2025, according to budget records.
"Any federal funding the county receives from grants is on a reimbursement basis," said Michael Martino, Romaine's spokesperson. "The county has sufficient cash reserves to cover expenses until funding resumes."
What happens to SNAP benefits distributed by counties?
The shutdown will not impact Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits through October, according to the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance. Anyone seeking benefits can still apply. It remains unclear what happens to benefits in November if the shutdown persists, the agency said.
The National Association of Counties in a Sept. 30 report titled "What Counties Need to Know When a Government Shutdown Happens," noted that counties responsible for administering programs like SNAP can be entitled to reimbursements through the state "once funding is enacted and made available."
Can county governments provide additional assistance?
Suffolk Legis. Samuel Gonzalez (D-Brentwood) said he believes there will be a ripple effect from the shutdown at the local level and believes the county can help.
"We’re going to feel it, especially in my district," he said.
Gonzalez said the county could suspend the gasoline and sales tax on clothing and footwear, reduce park entry fees and temporarily suspend the mortgage recording tax.
Gonzalez said he’s concerned about federal funding to support seniors in his district. His office partners with Island Harvest, one of the largest food banks on Long Island, to host a monthly program where volunteers deliver 35-pound food boxes to about 6,000 seniors who earn $1,957 per month or less. The Senior Food Boxes are part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Commodity Supplemental Food Program. Island Harvest distributes the boxes at 18 Suffolk sites and 13 in Nassau.
Randi Shubin Dresner, CEO of Island Harvest, said the nonprofit has enough food for about two weeks, at which point it would typically reorder. But without anyone at USDA available to process orders, "this program will essentially end until this government opens back up again," she said.
She added that the program is "very regulated" and can’t be backfilled with product from its warehouse.
"Once again, the government expects that the nonprofit community is going to be able to pivot with no extra funding, no extra support, but our own creativity," she said.
The nonprofit started a Hunger Relief Action Fund in wake of the federal shutdown. She said the nonprofit would accept additional funding from county or town governments.
Romaine said the county is willing to support nonprofits as much as it can.
"I've made it quite clear we can't make up for deficiencies in New York State or the federal government," he said. "I don't have the budget for that. I don't have the money for that."
How have counties responded to prior shutdowns?
During the shutdown that began in late 2018, former Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and former Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, both Democrats, formed a bicounty working group to examine local impacts of the shutdown, Newsday reported at the time. The goal was to make a more streamlined process to help out-of-work federal employees and coordinate with charities and social services.
Former Rep. Steve Israel, a Democrat who led the group, told Newsday the group met several times and compiled resources at the state, county and town levels. The 35-day shutdown, though, ended shortly after the group began meeting.
"One of the things that we established on our first meeting was the fact that shutdowns in the political environment that we’re in were likely to be ongoing and recurring," he said. "And communities should have strategies to deal with them in the future."
Could the shutdown impact the local economy for Long Island counties?
A prolonged shutdown could lead to less consumer spending and less sales tax revenue for governments, Israel said. Most of Suffolk’s revenue is driven by sales tax, accounting for about 41% of revenue in the proposed 2026 budget. Sales tax also represents the largest portion for Nassau, totaling about 45% of major fund revenue.
Israel said while he didn’t recall the 2018-19 shutdown seriously impacting local government offices, the longer a shutdown persists the greater chance for a "macro economic loss" that impacts counties and towns.
Romaine said he also believes there will be an impact on the economy.
Israel said based on his experience in the House Democratic leadership, the federal shutdowns "always get resolved because at a certain point both parties feel the heat."
Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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