Olmsted County monitors federal government shutdown
Olmsted County is monitoring the potential federal government shutdown if Congress does not pass legislation to extend funding by midnight tonight, Tuesday, September 30.
Federal programs and services administered by the county should not experience impacts during a short-term shutdown. Olmsted County will continue assessing the situation should a shutdown occur for an extended period.
Food and nutrition support
Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Olmsted County WIC services will continue to operate in the short term and will notify clients directly of any changes. Olmsted County is also exploring alternative funding options for the WIC program in the event of an extended shutdown.
WIC participants should:
- Keep their WIC appointments.
- Continue using WIC benefits at stores.
- Monitor updates on the Minnesota WIC website and My MN WIC app.
- Contact Olmsted County WIC with questions by calling or texting 507-328-7555 or emailing wic@olmstedcounty.gov.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
SNAP, which provides food benefits to families, is part of mandatory spending, not discretionary. That means they are generally not subject to annual appropriations that are cut off during a shutdown. There are components and operational resources that may be constrained.
Housing support
The Housing and Redevelopment Authority has received funding for the continued operation of Public Housing through November and the Housing Choice Voucher program through November 15, 2025.
Veteran Services
Health care through the Veterans Health Administration and mandatory benefit payments to Veterans are funded through advanced allocations to Veteran Services. Veterans should plan to keep all appointments.
Property, Records, and Licensing (PRL)
The federal government shutdown should not impact services provided by PRL. Olmsted County will continue to process passports. Some applications may be delayed due to federal agencies' inability to approve the required background information. Olmsted County encourages people who have applied for new passports to track their application status at travel.state.gov.
Other county programs
All other Olmsted County programs and services will remain open and continue to operate normally.