Houston County — pronounced "HOW-ston; this ain't Texas, folks — is Georgia's 14th-most populated county. Nestled along the Ocmulgee River, it sits in the heart of the state, about 90 miles south of Atlanta and just under 20 miles south of Macon, and while parts of it look and feel like your average suburb, much of it still has a small-town feel. The locals spend their Friday nights at high school football games, they greet their neighbors at family-owned restaurants, and you can still take a drive down a dirt road. Every fall, the county seat, Perry, hosts the Georgia National Fair.
Houston County is also home to Robins Air Force Base (AFB), which is the backbone of the community's economy. As of 2023, it accounted for 24,500 military and civilian jobs. It's also the largest single-site employer in the state. In 2024, it contributed $4.2 billion to the economy.
The city of Warner Robins grew up around the base, and for that reason, this part of Central Georgia is home to over 200,000 veterans and retirees. Local business owners depend on the city's workers to keep them afloat.
But now that Democrats like Sens. Chuck Schumer, John Ossoff, and Raphael Warnock are holding government employees hostage, those business owners are already seeing the impact trickle down to their bottom lines.
A local news outlet, 13WMAZ, recently did a report on this topic and spoke to some of the people who have already felt the impact.
One of them is Sara Hoselton, the manager of a local restaurant called Gregg’s 2.0. It sits just across from Robins AFB on Highway 247 and depends on those military personnel and civilian workers to stay in business. While essential military personnel must continue to work, though with delayed pay, non-essential workers must stay at home.
Hoselton said that on Wednesday morning, the first official day of the shutdown, the restaurant didn't see many customers, but she's trying to remain hopeful. "If the base does affect us that much. The community will pull through and come help us out," she told the news outlet.
Georgia: The government shutdown isn’t just impacting the airmen at Robins Air Force Base, who are working without pay—it’s hurting the local economy, with family-owned restaurants seeing “slower than normal” business.
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 2, 2025
Democrats @SenOssoff and @SenatorWarnock caused this. pic.twitter.com/iDYsb2o1p2
"Of course it's a concern, but I think all the trials and tribulations that we have been through, we've always overcome," Hoselton said in another interview. Her restaurant has been a part of the community since the 1950s. "We have so many regulars that love us and we love them and, you know, without them, I think we might not be here without our regulars. I feel like if it were to happen that we will get through it just like we have everything else," she added.
13WMAZ also spoke to a veteran living in Warner Robins, Willie, who called it a "close-knit town." He echoed Hoselton's sentiments that the community tends to rally during hard times. What's unfortunate is that they're even in this position in which they have to.
Beyond the base, the area's Museum of Aviation, which is run by the Department of War, is also closed due to the shutdown, as is the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Site. While Robins AFB remains open, several services are unavailable, including many utilized by the area's veterans.
The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this. Help us continue to report the truth about the Schumer Shutdown. Use promo code POTUS47 to get 74% off your VIP membership. That's just $12.74 for the entire year. Click here to get started.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member