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Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025

Were tens of thousands of Arizonans furloughed or required to work without pay during the government shutdown?

Tallulah Anne, Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting
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 AFL-CIO, a national 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.

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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is the state’s only independent, nonpartisan and collaborative nonprofit newsroom dedicated to statewide, data-driven investigative reporting. AZCIR's mission is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable by exposing injustice and systemic inequities through investigative journalism.

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