In response, the Trump administration has floated firing federal workers en masse if the shutdown occurs. About 150,000 federal employees work in California, not counting the military service members who also will go without pay during a shutdown. Social Security and health careMost Californians shouldn’t worry about a federal shutdown impacting their Social Security benefits or their health care access in the near term. One group that could be disproportionately affected by even a brief federal shutdown are native and indigenous populations. Wildfires and disastersA federal shutdown won’t ground firefighters, but could slow the money that pays for future disaster prep.