How does the federal government shutdown affect Hawaiʻi?
With the federal government shutdown taking effect on Wednesday, many workers, services and federal places will be impacted in the State of Hawai’i.
“We are now in a federal shutdown,” Hawaiʻi Gov. Josh Green said during his weekly update. “We know our people will suffer and struggle more. We are going to continue the ‘Hire Hawaii Program’ so if there are people who needs jobs that can come and serve here, we’ll be open to that.”
There are approximately 24,000 federal civilians working in Hawaiʻi, with about 19,000 working of the military. There also are about 47,000 service members in Hawai’i who will be affected by the shutdown, as well as thousands of contractors, grant recipients and others whose jobs are tied to the federal government, U.S. Rep. Ed Case, who represents Hawaiʻi, wrote on his website.
Some essential federal workers in Hawaiʻi and around the country, including the U.S. Postal Service employees, Transportation Security Administration workers and federal air traffic controllers will remain on the job.
“Current Medicare, Medicaid and disability insurance beneficiaries will continue to receive their benefits assuming a shutdown lasts less than three months,” Case said on his website. “But other assistance, such as the customer service phone line and various administrative services, will likely be delayed.”
Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park will remain accessible to the public during the federal government shutdown, but some services may be limited or unavailable, officials with the National Park announced on Wednesday.

It ironically comes on the day Kīlauea erupts again, for the 34th episode in this ongoing eruption.
Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park did not say what services may be limited or unavailable, and no one answered the phone to address questions from Big Island Now.
“Due to the lack of appropriations, we are out of the office and are not authorized to work at this time,” said the recorded message on the national park’s voicemail.
Just six days ago, a new National Park Service report revealed that 1,433,593 people visited Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park in 2024, with a cumulative economic benefit of $571 million for the local economy. The national park is home to Kīlauea and Mauna Loa.
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory that is based in Hilo announced that despite a lapse in appropriations, it will continue to maintain its 24/7 monitoring networks across Hawai‘i Island.
However, the observatory’s website content will not be updated until further notice, so some information may become outdated over time, a posting by the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Scientists will continue to track seismic activity, gas emissions, and ground deformation to ensure timely updates on volcanic hazards through the Hazard Notification website.

For a full list of Operations in the Absence of Appropriations due to the federal shutdown, click here.