# US Federal Government Shut Down - Budget Impass



## drmike (Oct 1, 2013)

```
Status	Agency	Total employees	Expected to work	Furloughed	Notes
Closed/Not able to function	Ability One	30	0	30	The independent agency's 30 employees, who work on behalf of the blind, would be prohibited from working during a shutdown. Source
Closed/Not able to function	American Battle Monuments Commission				All sites worldwide will be closed to the public
Closed/Not able to function	Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board	40	3	37	No federal employees would investigate industrial chemical spills/accidents that happen during the shutdown. Current investigations would be frozen, including investigation of the West Fertilizer explosion which killed 15 people in April. (Texas could not determine a cause, so the federal investigation is significant.)
Closed/Not able to function	Equal Employment Opportunity Commission	2,164	107	2,057	Remaining staff would mostly be in the field division, which helps people file employment discrimination claims. Source
Closed/Not able to function	Election Assistance Commission	26	0	26	No one would research improving federal elections or provide payments to states for improving their election systems.
Closed/Not able to function	Export-Import Bank of the United States	409	17	392	Export-Import Bank has 409 employees. In the event of a furlough, the ban expects to retain 17 employees (4.1% of Ex-Im Bankâ€™s workforce) and three contractors.
Closed/Not able to function	Federal Communications Commission	1,754	38	1,716	During a shutdown, all FCC activities other than those immediately necessary for the protection of life or property will cease. Source
Closed/Not able to function	FDIC Office of Inspector General 	121	8	113	This is an independent unit that conducts audits, investigations and other reviews of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's programs and operations.
Closed/Not able to function	Federal Election Commission	346	6	340	An independent regulatory agency, the FEC discloses campaign finance information, enforces the laws on campaign contributions and oversees the public funding of presidential elections. Furlough projections based on 2011 numbers: Source
Closed/Not able to function	Federal Labor Relations Authority	130	4	126	Of the approximate 130 current Agency employees, four employees, which consist of the FLRA Chairman, two Authority Members and the GC, are deemed necessary. Source
Closed/Not able to function	Federal Trade Commission	1,178	285	893	All commission employees shall be furloughed except those performing work to address a threat to human life or property; those involved in the orderly shutdown of agency operations; and those otherwise allowed by operation of law. Source
Closed/Not able to function	Institute of Museum and Library Services	69	4	65	The IMLS website, www.imls.gov, will continue to function. Source
Closed/Not able to function	Inter-American Foundation		4		The IAF assists with development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. The only activities authorized for IAF employees are those that contribute to an orderly suspension of foundation activities. Source
Closed/Not able to function	Millennium Challenge Corporation	283	6	277	The MCC is an independent U.S. foreign aid agency that is helping lead the fight against global poverty. Source
Closed/Not able to function	National Capital Planning Commission	35	5	30	The commission provides long-range planning guidance for Washington and nearby area. Unless notified otherwise, only excepted employees should report to work on the first day of a temporary lapse. Source
Closed/Not able to function	National Council on Disability				Source
Closed/Not able to function	National Gallery of Art				During a lapse in federal funding, the gallery and its grounds, including the Sculpture Garden, will be closed to the public. All public programs and events will be canceled. Source
Closed/Not able to function	National Science Foundation	2,000	300	1,700	The NSF was created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defenseâ€¦"
Closed/Not able to function	Office of Government Ethics	63	1	62	The OGE provides oversight and accountability of executive branch policies designed to prevent and resolve conflicts of interest.
Closed/Not able to function	Smithsonian	4,202	688	3,514	All museums would close. Excepted employees include those who protect the collections, feed the animals, etc. Volunteers arenâ€™t allowed to help out. Of, 4,202 employees, 688 would be â€œexceptedâ€ and expected to work. 2013 contingency plan
Closed/Not able to function	U.S. Office of Special Council	110	14	96	Whistleblower disclosures involving a substantial and serious risk to public health or safety or those requiring emergency action to protect property will continue to be processed. Source
Closed/Not able to function	U.S. Trade and Development Agency	48	4	44	The agency promotes U.S. economic interest in foreign counties. Source
Open/For 10 days	U.S. courts				The U.S. court system could operate for 10 days on available funds.
Open/For a few weeks	U.S. Patent and Trademark Office				The USPTO could operate for "a few weeks" with available funds.
Open/Functions continue	Active duty military (Department of Defense)	1,400,000	1,400,000		All active duty military remain on the job. They will receive paychecks October 1. But if a shutdown lasts until October 7, that could affect their next paychecks. Those paychecks could be delayed until after a shutdown.
Open/Functions continue	Armed Forces Retirement Home	285	249	36	The two retirement homes are in Gulfport, Mississippi, and Washington. During a funding hiatus, the AFRH will remain open to ensure the health and safety of residents, protect property or to provide other emergency services.
Open/Functions continue	Appalachian Regional Commission				The ARC works to further economic development in Appalachia. It's funded through exempt money.
Open/Functions continue	Bureau of Public Debt	771	771	0	The bureau is small agency within the Department of the Treasury. During a lapse in appropriation, it will continue to provide resources necessary to support disbursements to Social Security recipients, maintain government-wide accounting activities as well as activities related to federal government borrowing and tax collection. Source
Open/Functions continue	Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency	1,231	1,016	215	Serving the District of Columbia, the court's mission is to enhance public safety, prevent crime and reduce recidivism.
Open/Functions continue	Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board	111	111	0	The board identifies the nature and consequences of potential threats to public health and safety at the Department of Energyâ€™s defense nuclear facilities. Initially, the board will continue full operations, but 100 people would be furloughed in an extended shutdown.
Open/Functions continue	Fiscal Service Treasury Finance Fund	1,227	1,227	0	There could be a scenario where some workers would be furloughed down the road. Most are funded by multi-year appropriations.
Open/Functions continue	Department of Health and Human Services	78,198	40,512	37,686	Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would continue large portions of Affordable Care Act activities, including coordination between Medicaid and the Marketplace, as well as insurance rate reviews, and assessment of a portion of insurance premiums that are used on medical services. In the short term, the Medicare Program will continue largely uninterrupted.
Open/Functions continue	Individual congressional offices				Each member of Congress determines which of his or her staff remains on the job during a shutdown. The law governing shutdowns allows for workers who support a constitutionally mandated function (such as legislating) to work after funding has lapsed.
Open/Functions continue	Kennedy Center	50			In the event of a shutdown, the Kennedy Center will continue its nonappropriated functions and honor all nonappropriated fund contracts, including planned performances, educational activities and employment activities for its approximately 1,150 trust employees. Source
Open/Functions continue	Peace Corps	1,055	428	627	It would be logistically difficult for the Peace Corps to cease its operations overseas. The agency would wait at least 15 days to begin winding down those operations.
Open/Mostly open	Broadcasting Board of Governors	1,600	989	611	Broadcasters within the BBG network include the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Total employees and total furloughed are rough, based on percentages. Most broadcasting activities would continue.
Open/Mostly open	Department of Veterans Affairs	332,025	317,801	14,224	Most employees at the VA are funded through multi-year and other types of appropriations. That is why such a large percentage are expected to work.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Advisory Council on Historic Preservation	39	5	34	Within one hour of learning about a shutdown, the director of the Office of Administration will send an e-mail advisory to all the staff. Source
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Civilian military workers (Department of Defense)	800,000	400,000	400,000	Half of civilian workers for the military will be furloughed as soon as a shutdown goes into place. Those remaining on the job would be paid retroactively after the shutdown ends. Those furloughed would receive retroactive pay only if Congress votes to pay them after the fact.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Commodity Futures Trading Commission	680	37	643	Minimum level of oversight and surveillance of the futures markets, clearing operations and intermediaries is maintained. However, the vast bulk of the CFTC's oversight and surveillance functions will cease during a lapse of appropriations.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Consumer Product Safety Commission	540	22	518	With 22 workers left, analysis of defective products will continue; recalls still coordinated; imports still monitored.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Corporation for National and Community Service	610	72	538	It's core programs are Senior Corps, AmeriCorps and the Social Innovation Fund. Previously awarded grants and cooperative agreements will not be affected by the absence of current appropriations. However, no new grants will be awarded during this period and program and grants staff will not be available to provide assistance to grantees.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Department of Education	4,195	212	3,983	Most Department of Education employees are not excepted because the department, which is not among the largest in Washington, does not administer direct education programs. Those are done at the state level. Most of the excepted employees would work to continue administering Direct Loan and Pell Grants with the help of contractors who have already been paid. 
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Department of Interior	72,562	13,797	58,765	All areas of the National Park and National Wildlife Refuge Systems would be closed and public, access would be restricted. The Bureau of Land Management would terminate all non-emergency activities on the public lands. The scientific work of the U.S. Geological Survey would be halted or conducted in a custodial manner. Only those activities needed to respond to emergency situations would be conducted by the Office of Surface Mining. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement would continue to ensure the safety of drilling and production operations and issue drilling and other offshore permits; however, renewable activities and five-year plan work would be terminated. Most activities at Bureau of Indian Affairs agency, regional and headquarters offices would be suspended. Activities to continue required payments to beneficiaries would continue. The Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians would maintain minimum operations necessary to issue checks to beneficiaries. Bureau of Reclamation activities related to continuing" Source
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Department of Justice	114,486	96,744	17,742	An enormous federal bureaucracy, the Department of Justice is comprised of 40 components. Many workers are excepted as a matter of public safety because they work in law enforcement. The majority of workers at the FBI, the ATF, the Bureau of Prisons, the DEA and other agencies within the Department of Justice would report to work. But there would be effects. US Attorneys, for instance, would curtail a good portion of civil litigation. The US Antitrust division would not prepare any new proceedings
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Department of Labor	16,304	2,954	13,350	Largest division staying in business would be Worker Compensation Programs, which keeps most staff during a shutdown. Mine Safety and the Inspector General's offices are both at half strength. The rest would be mostly furloughed, including OSHA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (unemployment numbers). BLS can bring in a minimal staff to get out major indicators if OMB orders. It's unclear whether they'd do that for September unemployment numbers set for October 4. Source
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Department of Commerce	46,420	6,186	40,234	Most research activities at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will be suspended; U.S Census Bureau activities will be suspended.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Department of Energy	13,814	5,343	8,471	Advanced Energy Research Projects would shut down.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Department of Transportation	55,468	36,987	18,481	FAA remains near full functionality (including air traffic controllers and safety responsibilities).
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Department of Homeland Security	231,117	199,822	31,295	The following will be affected: All non-disaster grants programs administered by FEMA and other DHS components; citizens and U.S. businesses will not be able to access E-Verify; FEMA will cease providing high-quality data that is used for public planning. which ultimately is used to make insurance determinations for homeowners; the issuance or renewals of seaman documentation and licensing; fisheries enforcement patrols and routine maintenance to aids to navigation will be limited or curtailed.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Environmental Protection Agency	16,205	1,069	15,136	Some laboratory staff stays on the job, as well as emergency responders (responding to environmental emergencies) and a few other staffers in other divisions. Most EPA operations halt.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Executive Office of the President	1,701	436	1,265	Many entities exist under the EOP. A few of them include: Office of Budget and Management, Council of Economic Advisors, Office of the First Lady and Office of the White House Counsel.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Financial Crimes Enforcement Network	345	30	315	Its mission is safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money laundering. Significant agency activities that will continue include: Providing investigative support to law enforcement investigations; addressing dissemination issues; continuing computer operations to prevent loss of data; and maintaining minimal telecommunications. Source
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Financial Management Service	1,370	735	635	A bureau of the U.S. Treasury, the FMS operates the federal government's collections and deposit systems, among other duties. All employees must report for duty on the first work day of shutdown. If an appropriations bill has not been approved, non-excepted staff will be given furlough notices and dismissed until funding is approved by Congress. Source
Partially Closed/Shutdown	General Services Administration	11,821	4,094	7,727	GSA oversees the business of the U.S. federal government. Its policies cover travel, property and management practices. In the absence of appropriations, GSA owned and leased buildings will remain open and operate in "weekend mode." Source
Partially Closed/Shutdown	U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development	8,709	349	8,360	In a switch from previous shutdown plans, new mortgages could be endorsed by the FHA, which backs a large percentage of US loans, particularly for first-time home buyers.But that ability would only be temporary. Loan processing would be drastically slowed.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Internal Revenue Service (IRS)	94,516	8,752	85,764	All the following would cease in a shutdown: All audit functions; examination of returns and processing of non-electronic tax returns that do not include remittances; non-automated collections; legal counsel; taxpayer services such as responding to taxpayer questions (call sites); information systems functions (except as necessary to prevent loss of data in process); all planning, research, and training and development activities. Source
Partially Closed/Shutdown	National Archives and Records Administration	3,184	1,252	1,932	Established in 1934, this agency preserves and documents vital government and historical records.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Treasury	1,976	979	997	The Treasury department is broken up into a number of bureaus elsewhere on this list that perform specific functions. These 1,976 people are detailed to the headquarters in Washington, D.C. Those expected to work include the Secretary of the Treasury and his staff.
Open/Mostly open	Delta Regional Authority 		6		The Delta Regional Authority works to improve life for the residents of 252 counties and parishes across eight states that border the Mississippi River. It will remain mostly open using unobligated, prior-year funds.
Open/Mostly open	Denali Commission	14	14	0	It's independent federal agency designed to provide critical utilities, infrastructure and economic support throughout Alaska. All employees are exempt.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau	483	35	448	Most tax duties will continue, but processing of requests for new licenses, label approval and manufacture of non-beverage products would cease.
Open/Functions continue	Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program	193	193	0	The office is financed by multi-year appropriations and so essentially excepted from shutdown. It provides oversight for the 2008 Wall Street Bailout.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration	766	297	469	The Treasury Department's independent overseer of the IRS would halt most new investigations and there would be a slow-down to others.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Treasury Office of Inspector General	181	27	154	From their contingency plan: "In the event of a lapse in funding, the OIG would suspend most operations (including audits) except those required by law. "
Open/Functions continue	Farm Credit Administration				FCA operates as a nonappropriated agency with a permanent, readily available, revolving fund. As such, FCA is not reliant on the passage of annual appropriation legislation for its operating expenses or ongoing operations.
Open/Functions continue	Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation				If Congress failed to pass a federal budget or a continuing resolution for fiscal year 2014, FCSIC would remain open during a government shutdown and its employees would report to work. 
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Federal Energy Regulatory Commission	1,460	67	1,393	Inspections, market monitoring, and electric grid monitoring continue
Closed/Not able to function	Federal Maritime Commission	120	0	120	All Commission activities will be completely shut down by 12:00 p.m. ET Tuesday. 
Closed/Not able to function	International Boundary Commission	8	1	7	Maintenance of the US/Canada border provided by the U.S. Section of the IBC. Phone calls will be forwarded to the Acting Commissioner. All other functions will cease.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	International Boundary and Water Commission		188		Operations office will close, engineering office will close, Operations department will continue to operate critical functions.
Closed/Not able to function	International Joint Commission	20	1	19	 Virtually all IJC work will cease, U.S. Chair will be excepted to make emergency decisions.
Closed/Not able to function	National Labor Relations Board	1,611	11	1,600	Case handling, outreach and information office is closed.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	National Transportation Safety Board				Will still investigate major accidents and continue ongoing investigations.
Closed/Not able to function	US Postal Service Inspector General	1,136	19	1,117	
Open/Mostly open	Nuclear Regulatory Commission				Funded by no-year appropriations; will remain mostly open until prior year funds are exhausted.
Closed/Not able to function	United States Interagency Council on Homelessness 	21	0	21	USICH does not conduct exempted activities
Closed/Not able to function	US Holocaust Memorial Museum	402	225		Museum will be closed to the public
Closed/Not able to function	US Commission of Fine Arts	10	0	10	CFA activities are classified as non-exempt
Closed/Not able to function	United States African Development Foundation	66	5	61	Grants are fully obligated, so recipients remain operational
Closed/Not able to function	United States Access Board	29	0	29	
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Udall Foundation				Education activities continue; US institute closes completely
Open/Mostly open	Social Security Administration	62,343	44,337	18,006	Necessary implication act allows for partial functionality
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Small Business Administration	3,516	1,329	2,187	Disaster loan program and the IG open; everything else closed
Closed/Not able to function	Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission	58	2	56	Totally closed. IT and Administrative Assistant are the only employees retained
Open/Mostly open	Office of Personnel Management				The majority of OPMâ€™s functions are funded by sources other than annual appropriations, and thus would continue during a government shutdown caused by a lapse in appropriations. 
Open/Mostly open	Overseas Private Investment Corporation	240	240	0	Commitments of new loans, loan guarantees and Political Risk insurance will not take place during shutdown â€“ not because of a hiatus in appropriations, per se, but because a temporary reauthorization provision dependent on the appropriations process will lapse during the shutdown.
Open/Mostly open	Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction	192	192	0	In FY 2013, SIGAR was funded by multi-year appropriations which expire September 30, 2014. SIGAR will continue to fund agency operations during a lapse in funding through the use of carryover funds. If the period of funding lapse exceeds 61 days the carryover funds available, SIGAR will initiate implementation of this plan.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Postal Regulatory Commission	70	8	62	
Partially Closed/Shutdown	Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board		5		All staff furloughed except for the full-time chairman and four part-time board members.
Open/Mostly open	US Agency for International Development				The Agency will continue operating using residual balances in multi-year and no-year accounts until these funds are insufficient to continue. During this time, operations will be restricted.
Closed/Not able to function	Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission	75	8	67	The Commission will continue to adjudicate those Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 disputes that arise from a mine emergency and are necessary to ensure continued public health and safety. The Commission will continue to review incoming filings for emergency and time sensitive items. The Commission will continue to decide whether to grant or deny Petitions for Discretionary Review.
Open/Mostly open	USDA - Food Safety and Inspection Service	9,633	8,415	1,218	Field inspection of meat, poultry and egg products continue.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	USDA - Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services	1,363	171	1,192	SNAP -- food stamps -- continue at least for one month. But WIC, a separate program for pregnant women and children, would shut down. WIC affects 9 million people per month according to their government website.
Open/Mostly open	USDA - Agricultural Marketing Service	2,696	2,272	424	
Partially Closed/Shutdown	USDA - Departmental Management		165		Emergency response continues, protection of federal lands continues, protection against cyber security continues
Open/Mostly open	USDA - Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration	743	528	215	GIPSA would continue to provide inspection and weighing services that are supported by user fees
Open/Mostly open	USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service		148		The U.S. Department of Agricultureâ€™s Agricultural Marketing Service, according to its website, "administers programs that facilitate the efficient, fair marketing of U.S. agricultural products, including food, fiber, and specialty crops."
Closed/Not able to function	USDA - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights	154	0	154	There are no employees necessary to lead and direct the continuation of activities.
Closed/Not able to function	USDA - Office of Budget and Program Analysis		2		Only the director and associate director would remain to manage continued activities
Closed/Not able to function	USDA - Office of the Chief Economist		0		No activities of OCE involve law enforcement, health, safety, life, or property. OCE has no funds available to finance activities other than appropriations. Consequently, no OCE employees are considered exigency employees.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	USDA - Office of Communications	78	2	76	Unless otherwise directed by OMB, the USDA.gov web site will go dark and be linked to a â€œsplashâ€ page; Press releases will not be generated nor will there be USDA contact with the media. 
Closed/Not able to function	USDA - Office of Ethics 		0		Unless specifically requested by the Office of the Secretary or the General Counsel, and only for those times requested, the OE Director will be in a furlough status along with the rest of the OE staff.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	USDA - Office of the General Counsel		11		The top lawyer for the US Department of Agriculture and his staff would not be furloughed.
Partially Closed/Shutdown	USDA - Research, Education and Economics	10,190	400	6,190	Market news reports, NASS statistics, and other agricultural economic and statistical reports and projections would be discontinued; Research facilities would be closed except for the care for animals, plants and associated infrastructure to preserve agricultural research
Closed/Not able to function	USDA - Risk Management Agency	430	0	430	RMA will not maintain any activities during a government shutdown. RMA will not maintain any staff to either pay contractual obligations or perform any regulatory functions such as editing data.
Closed/Not able to function	USDA - Rural Development	4,730	53	4,677	This offshoot of the Agriculture department has no program activities that would continue in the absence of an appropriation. However, there are certain limited activities that are viewed as â€œexceptedâ€ for the purpose of preserving the Governmentâ€™s property. This property includes RDâ€™s loans portfolio, which exceeds $190 billion and serves as collateral for loans, and borrowersâ€™ funds paid to RD in escrow for real estate taxes and property insurance.
Open/Mostly open	Department of State				Consular operations will continue if the government shuts down, which means that people would be able to get visas and passports. However, there is an exception is for passport offices that are located in buildings that are otherwise shutdown, so some people may see delays in their applications. Travel plans for State Department personnel will mostly be put on hold, as will all new employment offers. The State Department has not released exact numbers of furloughs, but in previous shutdowns, furloughs were felt more heavily at the department's headquarters in Washington than at posts overseas. The State Department contingency plan did not list the total or furloughed number of employees at the department.
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## drmike (Oct 1, 2013)

[source: http://www.cnn.com/interactive/2013/09/politics/government-shutdown-impact/ ]


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## rds100 (Oct 1, 2013)

What a drama! The USA laws are just stupid.

Here if a new budget is not voted on time, the government continues to function and each month it can spend 1/12th of the budget for the previous year. When the new budget is approved, this can be changed.


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## MannDude (Oct 1, 2013)

Good. Hope it shuts down for a long while and people realize that the sun still rises in the morning even with limited and smaller government.

Of course congress still collects their pay though.

I don't care, won't directly impact me much. National Parks will be closed which is a bummer as I like to hike. But as an adventurer, I can just, y'know, walk past the 'Closed' sign and enjoy our national parks. Not like park rangers will be working for free.


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## Jade (Oct 1, 2013)

I'm sure they'll come to a decision in a few days rather than weeks


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## nunim (Oct 1, 2013)

Will be over by the end of the week, congress has to get re-elected next year...


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## Supicioso (Oct 1, 2013)

MannDude said:


> Good. Hope it shuts down for a long while and people realize that the sun still rises in the morning even with limited and smaller government.
> 
> Of course congress still collects their pay though.
> 
> I don't care, won't directly impact me much. National Parks will be closed which is a bummer as I like to hike. But as an adventurer, I can just, y'know, walk past the 'Closed' sign and enjoy our national parks. Not like park rangers will be working for free.


That sounds like a rather arrogant and stupid thing to say.

Seems you don't know much about the situation. 

Firstly. A large majority of the government jobs will still operate. They simply won't be paid to do so. Also I wouldn't call nearly 1 million people suddenly jobless is a good thing. 

If these things last long enough, if effects everyone. If you get any kind of check/saving plans what so ever from the government, that'll go poof, along with all the money you were supposed to get. That's millions of people with no way to sustain themselves.

I'd rather not see the streets filling with homeless and jobless. Though I highly doubt it'll ever get to that.


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## MannDude (Oct 1, 2013)

Supicioso said:


> That sounds like a rather arrogant and stupid thing to say.
> 
> Seems you don't know much about the situation.
> 
> ...


I was being partially sarcastic, but I don't think it will actually get that bad. I'm aware that the majority of government jobs will still operate as normal, I had my own concerns regarding this and some things I've got to do this week which involve government agencies so looked into it a bit myself. Though in the example I provided, National Park Services are indeed impacted.



> Not only would the public be unable to enter the parks, visitors currently camping or staying in a national park would be ordered to leave within two days and all roads leading to the parks would be closed.


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/10/01/tourists-would-be-shut-out-from-national-parks-monuments-if-government-shuts/

As far as the other stuff, it won't impact me. Even though I qualify to recieve handouts from the government I don't utilize such programs so I won't feel the hurt if they're taken away, though I feel for those who may, and in that thought I only wish they didn't _have_ to rely on such programs to get by.


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## drmike (Oct 1, 2013)

Longest furlough like this ever in US history was 2005-06... 21 days.

If government views so many of these services as non essential, one has to ask, why is the government even involved in them?


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## MannDude (Oct 1, 2013)

buffalooed said:


> Longest furlough like this ever in US history was 2005-06... 21 days.
> 
> If government views so many of these services as non essential, one has to ask, why is the government even involved in them?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument_Syndrome



> The *Washington Monument syndrome*, also known as the *Mount Rushmore Syndrome*,[1] or the *firemen first principle*,[2][3] is a political tactic used in the United States by government agencies when faced with budget cuts. The tactic entails cutting the most visible or appreciated service provided by the government, from popular services such as national parks and libraries[1] to valued public employees such as teachers and firefighters.[2] This is done to gain support for tax increases that the public would otherwise be against. The name derives from the National Park Service's alleged habit of saying that any cuts would lead to an immediate closure of the wildly popular Washington Monument.[4] Critics compare the tactic to hostage taking or blackmail.[5]
> 
> Although the strategy usually intends to highlight the government's value to voters, it can also be aimed at lawmakers themselves. Faced with budget cuts in the 1970s, Amtrak announced plans to cease train routes in the home districts of several members of Congress.[2]
> 
> The term was first used after George Hartzog, the seventh director of the National Park Service, closed popular national parks such as the Washington Monument and Grand Canyon National Park for two days a week in 1969. In response to complaints, Congress fired Hartzog and restored the funding.[6]


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## drmike (Oct 1, 2013)

^--- good find there MannDude... Never heard that before... Those bastards.


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## MannDude (Oct 1, 2013)

I vote for anarchy. Can I go eat my neighbors now?

I forget what color text we decided on for sarcasm


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## texteditor (Oct 1, 2013)

It wasn't purple, you cannibal


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## jarland (Oct 1, 2013)

Nothing but a bunch of crybabies in Washington and butt hurt self-proclaimed "journalists" who are trying every scare tactic in the book to make us care about their little problems. We hired them to solve problems and all they can do when they get there is claim that they can't because the other guys don't play fair. I'll not be part of their toddler games this round. Shut it down or don't, the chips will fall how they will.


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## Kakashi (Oct 1, 2013)

Makes a break from the norm. I suppose that's what's needed to get changes to happen long term.


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## KuJoe (Oct 1, 2013)

Happy 123rd Mr. Yosemite National Park! Take the day off!


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## Reece-DM (Oct 1, 2013)

Saw this pop up the other day. Not really into politics my self or understand most of that rubbish they talk.

But what does this mean for the USA itself?


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## ChrisM (Oct 1, 2013)

BURN! BABY BURN!


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## HalfEatenPie (Oct 1, 2013)

Reece said:


> Saw this pop up the other day. Not really into politics my self or understand most of that rubbish they talk.
> 
> But what does this mean for the USA itself?


Currently only the most essential services are still active (they're all "skeleton crew").  Research and other public services are currently halted.  While international-affairs related services (e.g. Homeland security, coast guard, embassies) will remain mostly intact, many domestic services and agencies have to furlough large chunks of their employees.  

In terms of specific changes to people's lives, I guess people within the United States who are on said programs or who rely on these research projects are basically cut-off (or are slowed down incredibly).  For the middle-class "average Joes" there won't be much effect except for maybe less officers and emergency first responders.  

I'm not too knowledgeable currently on the impacts on the international scale but basically the United States currency (if i recall correctly) will fall 0.5% in value for every week the government has shut down.  This severely damages the worth of USD and could potentially (probably) effect many international trades and exchanges.  

I know specifically one of my best friend's family that will be affected by this.  Both parents are on disability (Father had a stroke and cannot move the left half of his body, Mother was a nurse but during her line of duty/work she was severely injured), but disability is just a limited income.  There's basically no chance of improving their living conditions (pursuit for a better life as some say).  Therefore the father now spends time trading currency depending on exchange rates (and makes a profit).  While this could be beneficial to him at the same time, it also has the potential of him losing more money during the trades (e.g. USD to GBP or something) (I'm assuming here).  The only reason my friend was able to afford college was because of scholarships (more specifically United States Government sponsored scholarships), which surprisingly if this continues add additional stress to his already hectic lifestyle.  

What I'm trying to say is people have bills to pay, things to do, but for families who rely on government aid this can be seen as "hell".  When the government shuts down and you can't receive your pay (and the bills start piling up), well...  it adds a ton of stress.  

Coming back to the subject, this entire situation is bad for the United States as a whole.  From my opinion and analysis of the situation, I really wish these individuals all are removed from office (I mean they had a job to do and they failed, usually you get fired if you can't do what you're paid to do), but in reality these individuals are probably the most well-informed individuals (this is an assumption and lets not all be armchair lawyers/researchers here).  

On a personal note, as a graduate student who is currently being paid by government (not USA's) funds for research.  I'd probably be sweating (and there's barely enough money to survive in the graduate-student research fund level).


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## perennate (Oct 1, 2013)

It's ridiculous to call the current situation a government shut down when the unconstitutional surveillance of innocent Americans continues.


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## texteditor (Oct 1, 2013)

This actually blows because it negatively affects all the good/cool shit our government does (NASA, national parks, social services, consumer/financial protection agencies), while leaving things like the NSA and military untouched


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## MannDude (Oct 1, 2013)

texteditor said:


> This actually blows because it negatively affects all the good/cool shit our government does (NASA, national parks, social services, consumer/financial protection agencies), while leaving things like the NSA and military untouched


Read what I posted earlier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument_Syndrome They shut down the programs the public likes and finds beneficial.


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## atho (Oct 1, 2013)

http://www.nasa.gov :angry:


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## rds100 (Oct 1, 2013)

atho said:


> http://www.nasa.gov :angry:


Lol, that's a little extreme demostration. Could have put it on sedo parking to make some buck then, if the situation is that dire.


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## texteditor (Oct 1, 2013)

Cut down on research funding and expenses by following this 1 weird old tip.


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## zim (Oct 1, 2013)

Really hoping this is a short term thing...


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## Nick_A (Oct 1, 2013)

MannDude said:


> Of course congress still collects their pay though.


And they're exempt from the healthcare law they're arguing over. It's doubly terrible.


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## Artie (Oct 1, 2013)

Most of the gov't sites now just redirect to: http://notice.usa.gov/

Funny, they are still paying for the BW on that notice page.


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## nunim (Oct 1, 2013)

texteditor said:


> This actually blows because it negatively affects all the good/cool shit our government does (NASA, national parks, social services, consumer/financial protection agencies), while leaving things like the NSA and military untouched


I don't think it would be a good idea to show the rest of the world that we're defenseless....  Also the first, or maybe second, rule in politics is that you don't mess with the troops, especially with their pay.


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## Kakashi (Oct 1, 2013)

What annoys me though is that a small handful of members of one party can grind the GLOBAL economic recovery to a halt. 

Here is a really nice video a couple of years old but still goo : http://www.snotr.com/video/8742/Tax_Dollars_At_War


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## texteditor (Oct 1, 2013)

nunim said:


> Also the first, or maybe second, rule in politics is that you don't mess with the troops, especially with their pay.


The irony is that the US has a terrible history of violating this rule with little or no blowback


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## jarland (Oct 1, 2013)

Kakashi said:


> What annoys me though is that a small handful of members of one party can grind the GLOBAL economic recovery to a halt.
> 
> 
> Here is a really nice video a couple of years old but still goo : http://www.snotr.com/video/8742/Tax_Dollars_At_War


One party? Is that the one standing their ground or the one standing their ground? Obama will negotiate with Iran and not his opposing political party. Picking one side of this situation is about as ignorant as one could get. Both sides are being equally childish.


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## Nick_A (Oct 1, 2013)

To think that the GOP wants to be accused of any more foul play by the media and the uninformed public is to miss the picture. They would gladly save political face if it didn't mean that their internal competitors (read Tea Party) would take over. As it is, this is just one more step to a third party since it's all going to halt somewhere in the middle.


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## Francisco (Oct 1, 2013)

Just have the Queen of England come over and bitch slap you like they did Australia back in the 70's.

Francisco


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## MannDude (Oct 1, 2013)

Francisco said:


> Just have the Queen of England come over and bitch slap you like they did Australia back in the 70's.
> 
> 
> Francisco


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## Hassan (Oct 1, 2013)

Calling it the government shutting down is over exaggerating the situation, everything should be back to normal in a couple days. Its just unfortunate for the people who are out of a job while this gets taken care of.


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## XFS_Duke (Oct 2, 2013)

Republicans are fighting to keep an exemption off the law books for the "ObamaCare" BS... Several provisions are on there that exempt certain people while fining lower income families who cannot afford even the cheapest insurance.

I say let them stay shut down... They aren't doing anything to help anyways... Shut down the IRS as well...


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## Reece-DM (Oct 2, 2013)

Francisco said:


> Just have the Queen of England come over and bitch slap you like they did Australia back in the 70's.
> 
> 
> Francisco


Haha please don't make me laugh. Our Queen has no power lets be honest... and she's German


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## rds100 (Oct 2, 2013)

@Reece actually i think that keeping the Queen and accepting the metric systems are the best things that the british have done in the last century ;-)


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## Reece-DM (Oct 2, 2013)

rds100 said:


> @Reece actually i think that keeping the Queen and accepting the metric systems are the best things that the british have done in the last century ;-)


Probably but still our Queen don't have as much power as people think.


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## Cloudrck (Oct 2, 2013)

XFS_Duke said:


> Republicans are fighting to keep an exemption off the law books for the "ObamaCare" BS... Several provisions are on there that exempt certain people while fining lower income families who cannot afford even the cheapest insurance.
> 
> I say let them stay shut down... They aren't doing anything to help anyways... Shut down the IRS as well...


This man speaks truth. I do disagree with Congress still getting paid.


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## nunim (Oct 2, 2013)

This whole mess made me watch "The Shutdown" episode of the West Wing, I miss that show =/

I honestly feel bad for Obama, most presidents have an 18 month window after election to get some work done, he's on his second term and he's still fighting for something he should have gotten finished in his first.  I don't get why the republicans just don't accept that this is going to happen, they're only hurting themselves right now and will probably lose the house after the mid-term election as a result of this.


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## clarity (Oct 2, 2013)

nunim said:


> This whole mess made me watch "The Shutdown" episode of the West Wing, I miss that show =/
> 
> I honestly feel bad for Obama, most presidents have an 18 month window after election to get some work done, he's on his second term and he's still fighting for something he should have gotten finished in his first.  I don't get why the republicans just don't accept that this is going to happen, they're only hurting themselves right now and will probably lose the house after the mid-term election as a result of this.


The Republicans are fighting this because it should have never been in existence. The entire vote that approved this is completely shady. If they would have waited as they were supposed to, they would not have had the votes. Instead, they rushed a vote on December 24th before the newly elected officials were there to vote. 

The thing that I don't understand is why people are for it. Why involve the government in another part of our lives? If they are going to force healthcare, what is next? Why not automobile insurance? Why not life insurance? Why not home owner's insurance? Where does it stop?

You can certainly bet that the Democrats are getting some kickbacks from this, but that is for another topic.

The issue here is that this kills small business growth. Businesses that are growing are deliberately stopping or slowing it down. This in the end will hurt us more than we know. It is also forcing companies to charge more for benefits. I can tell you that since this was adopted, I have seen premiums rise every single year, and I know that more are on the way. They are all linked back to this major change in insurance law.


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## Kakashi (Oct 2, 2013)

Francisco said:


> Just have the Queen of England come over and bitch slap you like they did Australia back in the 70's.
> 
> 
> Francisco


Haha I needed a good laugh today


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## Coastercraze (Oct 3, 2013)

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CE4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhousedocs.house.gov%2Frules%2Fhealth%2F111_ahcaa.pdf&ei=GhNNUt7II4mjqgH7vIGQBw&usg=AFQjCNHPgkiSyDmOhkTS4QfPY9R7rtEekg&sig2=ukDpgJzS6PB3Gc70q3Izbw&bvm=bv.53537100,d.aWM&cad=rja

and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act

Hope that helps someone, have fun reading all of that lol.


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## ChrisM (Oct 4, 2013)

*Waits to be accused of being a racist again.. LAWLZZZ.


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## drmike (Oct 4, 2013)

What they are doing, threatening to arrest veterans for visiting the memorials is just terrible. 

Vets long ago scheduled their vacation arrangements.  Not some spontaneous event.

As for the border situation, if we wanted to stop illegals, they'd move the border checkpoints to the border and not have them 60-80 miles away from the border.  Been like that out west during Democrat office holders and Republican office holders.

What the heck is Commie Jerry Brown doing in Cali giving illegals more rights?

Heck, the Democrats need the illegals as voting blocks.  The Republicans need them to clean their hotels and do the near slave money for free.  Impeach all of them, arrest all the corporatists found conspiring with foreign nationals or on behalf of such.


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## MannDude (Oct 4, 2013)

buffalooed said:


> What they are doing, threatening to arrest veterans for visiting the memorials is just terrible.
> 
> Vets long ago scheduled their vacation arrangements.  Not some spontaneous event.
> 
> ...


They're only closing down memorials like that as theatrics. It's not saving the government money. It's just theatrics because people care about those and they want to get people riled up. If they shut down due to budget issues they should be ripping out and throwing away wasteful spending in other areas. I personally want to see this stretched out as far as possible and America default on our debt. It'd be a nice eye-opener for some of the people who are blind to just how shitty things have gotten and maybe things need to get much worse for us before the people get together to attempt to make things better. Whether that be at the voting booth, or in the streets.

California just started giving illegal immigrants drivers licenses. They did it because they were driving anyway and doing so without insurance, so now by giving them the ability to drive legally here (even if they're in our country illegally), they can make them pay for insurance. I'm okay with immigrants, America was founded on it. But they need to pay taxes and contribute to the better good of this country instead of sending the vast majority of their tax free earnings back to their home country. I've worked in the food industry for years, and I worked with some great Mexican workers. These folk were legal. But they don't have long term goals here. They live in cheap apartments, with as many people as possible. They bust their ass and work hard, make good money, but they SEND IT BACK to Mexico to support their families there and all of them miss home. Their plans in America last 10-20 years tops. What good does that do for the USA? Now, these are the legal folk. They do pay taxes.

I managed an organic orchard in Nevada for a little while. We had some jobs that was best to just get a team of 10 migrant workers to do. They bust ass. They made good money. But judging by the fact they drove through the desert on dirt roads to get to the property in vehicles with no license plates instead of taking roads that went through town.. well... I don't think those folk were legal. None of my concern, they did their job and did it well. But I doubt the money that was paid to them contributed much to America's economic growth.

Put up a wall or dont, I really don't care. But if they're here they need to pay into the system and not get rewarded for entering illegally by getting perks and handouts.


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## MannDude (Oct 8, 2013)




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## jarland (Oct 8, 2013)

MannDude said:


>


Dare I say, it's on.


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## peterw (Oct 8, 2013)

MannDude said:


> What good does that do for the USA? Now, these are the legal folk. They do pay taxes.
> 
> 
> Put up a wall or dont, I really don't care. But if they're here they need to pay into the system and not get rewarded for entering illegally by getting perks and handouts.


We do have the same discussion in the EU about illegal migrants.

If we would care and if we would give them a helping hand (bureaucracy) they would like to live in our land (and not only get as much money as possible).

They would bring their familiy to our land too.

They would spend a lot of money in our land, go to school, pay taxes, buy a small house, rent flats, buy a second car.

But short minded people fear them because they are willing to work harder for less money.

They fear competition.


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## Magiobiwan (Oct 8, 2013)

Technically, the War Memorial is *CLOSED* to the general public. By remaining there, they were *legally trespassing, and as such could be arrested*. They broke the law, they could be arrested. Now, if *I* were the officer in that situation, I would have chosen a simple Cite and Release, assuming I didn't have the option to just tell them to leave.


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## ChrisM (Oct 8, 2013)

Magiobiwan said:


> Technically, the War Memorial is *CLOSED* to the general public. By remaining there, they were *legally trespassing, and as such could be arrested*. They broke the law, they could be arrested. Now, if *I* were the officer in that situation, I would have chosen a simple Cite and Release, assuming I didn't have the option to just tell them to leave.


It is not trespassing and they are not the general public they are soldiers and the memorial is theirs. It is there to honor the soldiers they have fought and died with and to be forcibly removed from there is a disgrace to this country and what it was founded on.


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## jarland (Oct 8, 2013)

Didn't know it costs money to not close it, not put up fences, and not police it. They're spending more money to make a show of "look what happens when we don't have money." Wtf kinda country do I live in...


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## Francisco (Oct 8, 2013)




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## Tactical (Oct 8, 2013)

Thats funny as hell!


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