A town in Trump country where closure looms

It’s been three months since Jonathan Giba moved into temporary housing for homeless veterans at a hospital for veterans of the U.S. military in West Virginia.

He is awaiting medical and dental consultations after medication prescribed to him left him toothless and unable to walk. Now, with the government shut down, he is preparing to wait even longer.

He calls it “political nonsense.” The U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital where Mr. Giba resides in Martinsburg, West Virginia, still provides medical care, but the VA has stopped other programs that help veterans find jobs and transition out of military life.

“The shutdown is a waste of time, and in the meantime it hurts everyone,” the Army veteran says.

Martinsburg is an American city particularly eager to feel the impacts of the US government shutdown.

A city of nearly 20,000 located about 85 miles (136 km) from Washington, D.C., federal agencies employ more than 3,300 people in the region, between the Veterans Affairs hospital, an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) processing facility and an agricultural aid office.

About a thousand additional federal workers commute to the nation’s capital each day from the Amtrak station in downtown Martinsburg.

We’re in Trump country, where 67% voted for president in 2024 and where fierce independence underpins a kind of “make it work” mindset.

Due to the government shutdown, a nearby community event – ​​the Freedom’s Run race series – changed its route, passing trails near a federal Civil War battlefield site, but otherwise went as planned. Harper’s Ferry, a nearby national park and tourist attraction, was kept open with state money.

But political wrangling in Washington and a perceived lack of concern for ordinary Americans is not far from people’s minds. And they worry about what will happen as the shutdown drags on.

On an unseasonably warm Monday, nearly six days after the U.S. government shutdown, Mr. Giba sits in the shade of a large tree and smokes cigarettes with other veterans.

One of them, Troy Williams, says the policy is harming average Americans. “It’s not a Democratic or Republican issue,” he said, “which is why they’re not working on a solution.”

Air Force veteran Marcellus Brothers worries about what lies ahead. “We’re in the dark, it’s scary.”

Republicans and Democrats have been at an impasse over government funding since it ran out on Oct. 1, and much of the government shut down, placing more than 700,000 people on unpaid leave. Some 200,000 other workers deemed “essential” are working without pay as the political impasse continues.

Politicians in Washington pointed the finger at the opposing party. The White House began laying off thousands of federal employees on Friday.

In a state already hit by job losses due to the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the federal workforce, the shutdown threatens even greater losses, warns Kelly Allen, executive director of the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy.

“We have more federal employees than coal miners in West Virginia,” she says. “Sure, these jobs pay well, have good benefits, and in a state where there aren’t a lot of good-paying jobs, they’re really important.”

Tina Hissam, an employee at a small business in the area, has seen first-hand the impact of government shutdowns on her neighbors.

“It hurts small businesses, they can cancel services, they can’t shop locally,” she says of federal workers. “The government shutdown is having a huge impact and it’s really scary, I just pray it all goes away.”

Already, a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) service center – which serves the seven surrounding counties – has closed.

The office — responsible for helping farmers, ranchers and landowners with tasks such as applying for farm loans and disaster assistance — will remain closed until the government reopens.

And on Wednesday, the IRS laid off 34,000 workers, so the Martinsburg service center could soon be hit.

History has shown that as closures increase, more and more services are removed or closed due to lack of funding.

West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito has so far remained indifferent despite the potential impact on areas she represents like Martinsburg. She voted with her fellow Republicans to provide government funding without subsidies for health care, as Democrats want. Proposals from both sides have repeatedly failed.

In a local op-ed, Moore Capito noted that West Virginia has the third-highest number of federal employees per capita in the country, but blamed Democratic intransigence.

“These are our neighbors and friends – people who keep our minors safe, process veterans’ benefits, secure our borders and keep drugs from entering our communities. They now face uncertainty over their paychecks through no fault of their own.”

When the first checks since the closure arrive – or not – on Friday, this impact could finally be felt.

In previous shutdowns, federal workers who weren’t paid received back pay, but it’s unclear if that will be the case this time.

“The economic loss could have wide-ranging consequences for local communities, businesses and households. It could cause long-term damage to local economies,” said resident Mark Mulligan.

“West Virginia is a poor state dependent on jobs and federal aid. The suffering of the elderly, the disabled and children could be catastrophic.”