The shutdown means thousands of federal workers in Texas will head to work Wednesday without the promise of a paycheck until both parties in Congress can cut a deal to restore funding. Texas is home to more federal civilian employees than all but three other states, counting over 130,000 workers as of September 2024. Since 2019, those employees — along with furloughed workers — have been guaranteed back pay once federal funding is restored. Other services typically deemed essential and continued during shutdowns include delivery of benefits, federal law enforcement operations, veterans’ health care and military functions. Further compounding federal workers’ stress, the White House put out a memo to federal agencies threatening mass layoffs in the event of a shutdown.