Tomblin monitors federal government shutdown

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said Tuesday the impact of the federal government shutdown would be minimal on the state unless it stretched for several days.

“There’s a lot of planning to be done but there are a lot of unknowns also. Simply because we have no idea how long it will take Congress to act,” Tomblin said.

The governor got an update Tuesday morning from members of his cabinet. He said state mine inspectors are preparing to do more if federal mine inspectors are faced with a furlough. The governor said he’s also concerned about how a prolonged shutdown would impact certain public schools in West Virginia where many teachers receive federal funds as part of their salaries.

“If they are not being paid they can’t work. We may have to possibly close some schools down or else try and change some programs for the day so students can be there with teachers who are paid with state dollars,” he said.

The governor said if the shutdown only lasts a few days it shouldn’t be a problem.

“We think we can continue with the operations so people will not really notice a difference. However, if it gets in past a week or into next week or something then we are obviously going to have to start making some changes,” Tomblin said.