With a federal shutdown looking increasingly likely next week, more than 11,000 federal workers in Maine could be affected in much the same way they were during recent stoppages in 2013, 2018 and 2019.

What’s different this time is that President Donald Trump has directed agencies to prepare for terminations rather than furloughs, meaning some Mainers could lose their jobs. It’s not clear which agencies the administration would target for layoffs or if it’s simply a negotiating tactic.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a Republican proposal to maintain existing funding levels through Nov. 21 and add $88 million for security for federal officials in the wake of recent political violence. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, D-2nd District, was the only Democrat who voted with Republicans, while Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, was opposed.

The Senate, however, did not advance that bill because Democrats were united in opposition and the measure needed 60 votes to pass. Efforts to bring them into negotiations this week stalled when Trump canceled a meeting with leaders, and both parties have only become more entrenched.

As things stood Friday, the Senate wasn’t expected to reconvene until Monday afternoon, a little more than 30 hours before federal funding runs out.

Maine’s two senators aren’t saying much publicly. Neither Republican Susan Collins nor independent Angus King agreed to be interviewed Thursday or Friday.

Collins, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, said in a written statement that federal workers “should not be treated as pawns amid a needlessly partisan impasse.”

“We must pass a clean, short-term continuing resolution to prevent a harmful government shutdown and allow Congress time to complete the annual funding bills,” she said.

A spokesperson for King said the senator is “continuously engaged with his senate colleagues from both parties right now and doesn’t want to negotiate in public.”

Collins’ office noted that essential workers, such as border patrol, military, air traffic controllers and others, would have to still report to work without pay if the government shut down. It would also limit military training and new programs. And grants for state and local law enforcement, as well as funding for Head Start and people with disabilities, would be affected.

In addition to the more than 11,000 federal workers who could be furloughed here, a shutdown could affect people who receive federal benefits through WIC and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It also likely would close Acadia National Park and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument during the height of leaf-peeping season.

State lawmakers have established an assistance program for any workers affected by a federal government shutdown that lasts at least seven days. That program allows furloughed or unpaid workers to receive no-interest loans of up to $6,000. It’s not clear if it applies to laid off workers. Furloughed employees and laid off workers would likely still be eligible for unemployment benefits in most states.

In opposing the Republican version of a temporary budget bill, Democrats have demanded an extension of health care subsidies and a reversal of cuts contained in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill that passed this summer.

Collins and Golden argue that extending the subsidies should be done through separate legislation, rather than through the stop-gap funding bill. Both also expressed support for extending health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, which are scheduled to expire at the end of the year. Insurance companies are already warning of 24% increase in premiums on average if the subsidies are not extended.

Republicans are hoping a stopgap bill will provide additional time for Congress to pass annual appropriations bills. They hold 53 seats in the Senate, so they need at least seven more votes, from Democrats or independents, to pass their version. Democrats would need 13 Republicans plus King and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont.

Lawmakers have typically found last-minute agreements to avoid shutdowns, but this time could be different, especially with Trump threatening mass layoffs.

The Office of Budget Management issued a memo telling federal agencies to draft “reduction in force” notices to employees of programs whose discretionary funding expires on Oct. 1, does not have funding as part of the (One Big Beautiful Bill) or whose mission is “not consistent with the President’s priorities.”

The memo, posted by Punchbowl News, says some of those reductions would carry over into the next fiscal year.

“Once fiscal year 2026 appropriations are enacted, agencies should revise their RIFs as needed to
retain the minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions,” the memo states.

Already, the Trump administration has been reducing the size of the federal government across several agencies and a shutdown could give the White House leverage to do even more.

King sided with Democrats last week but did not make any remarks on the floor and did not issue a written statement following the vote when asked for his view.

He has previously opposed government shutdowns, saying in March that it would give the administration more power to act without Congressional approval.

Collins, in her floor speech last week, criticized Democrats for inserting “poison pills” into their stopgap funding measure.