LITTLE ROCK, AR - In preparation for a potential federal government shutdown, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent a memo to her cabinet secretaries instructing them on protocol.

The Governor’s full memo is below:

To: Cabinet Secretaries
From: Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Date:   December 20, 2024
Subject: Federal Government Shutdown

December 20, 2024 at midnight is the deadline to avoid a shutdown of the federal government. While we are hopeful a solution will be reached, as a state, we must be prepared to ensure the continuation of those services vital to the protection of public health, safety, and welfare, while temporarily suspending government services that rely on federal funding.

Should a shutdown occur, cabinet secretaries, in consultation with the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) and the Department of Transformation and Shared Services (TSS), will be responsible for determining which programs must be suspended and which employees will be furloughed based on the following criteria:

1. If a program or employee has been identified by the federal government as being necessary to protect public health, safety, or welfare, and the federal government has provided documentation guaranteeing funding during the shutdown, the program and federally funded employment may continue uninterrupted by the shutdown.

2. If an agency has sufficient federal funding and authorization from current or previous federal grants to fund a program or position, it may do so as long as funding remains available.

3. In all other cases, programs and employment that are wholly or partially dependent on federal funding will be suspended, effective Saturday, December 21, for the duration of the shutdown. The federal government will not allow us to make any exceptions unless the protection of public health, safety, and welfare would be compromised.

My administration will do everything in our power to keep the vital functions of government working. DFA – Budget and Accounting offices, along with TSS - Office of Personnel Management, will be available to assist agencies in making these determinations. Please contact DFA and TSS for more information.