How does the government shutdown impact the Eastern Shore

SALISBURY, Md. — A government shutdown could hit close to home. Officials shared what the stall in the nation’s capital could mean for the Eastern Shore.

Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano said the county does not rely heavily on federal funding. “We are not, you know, in the county, very reliant on the federal government for a lot of things,” Giordano said. She added that she does not expect significant local impacts, but she is concerned about how long the shutdown could last.

“Any time you have something like this, it disrupts and it trickles down. So as of right now, we don’t see a huge effect. But that’s not to say if there’s multiple days that this is going to take place,” she said.

Salisbury City Council member Michele Gregory said many in the community rely on federal programs such as Medicare, disability services, agricultural support and education funding. “My biggest concern is for those who rely on federal funding, especially communities like ours. We rely heavily. There are council meetings where we accept hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants,” Gregory said.

Salisbury Chamber of Commerce President Bill Chambers said Maryland is already feeling the effects. “Shutting the government down was unnecessary. It is anti-business and anti-citizen. It will have profound impacts on the state of Maryland. Some estimates are $700,000 in lost state revenues for every day of the shutdown,” Chambers said.