US News

What you need to know about the shutdown

In the first US government shutdown in 17 years, 3.3 million government workers would still punch the clock, the mail would be delivered, Social Security benefits would go out, airplanes would take off and land — and President Obama and Congress would still collect their paychecks.

But tourists can forget about seeing Lady Liberty or striking a cheesy pose at Mount Rushmore, first-time home buyers waiting for government-backed mortgages would have to sweat it out a little longer — and everyone might have to wait for flu shots.

Here’s a look at which services will grind to a halt and which will carry on as Congress continues to duke it out over a budget deal:

  • Campers at national parks will have 48 hours to pull up stakes as the National Park Service shutters all its parks and monuments, including Yellowstone, Alcatraz and the Grand Canyon. But hikers can still use the Appalachian Trail.
  • The White House will operate with a skeleton staff and tours will be suspended.
  • NASA’s Mission Control in Houston won’t have a problem. Its workers there and elsewhere will continue to support the International Space Station, where two Americans and four others are deployed.
  • The National Weather Service will keep making forecasts and tracking hurricanes and storms.
  • Federal air-traffic controllers will remain on the job and airport screeners will continue scrutinizing passengers at security checkpoints.
  • Get out of jail free? Don’t think so. All 116 federal prisons will remain open, and criminal litigation will proceed.
  • Neither rain, nor snow nor government shutdown will stop the mail from being delivered, as the US Postal Service relies on postage revenue to fund deliveries.
  • The band can play on at DC’s Kennedy Center — endowments should keep it open
  • Inventors are in luck — the Patent and Trademark Office can operate off user fees and other alternate funds.
  • Federal courts will continue operating normally for about 10 business days after the start of a shutdown, roughly until the middle of October. If the shutdown continues past that point, the judiciary would have to begin furloughs of non-essential workers. But cases would continue to be heard.
  • Passports and visas will continue to be issued, and embassies and consulates will stay open.
  • Social Security and Medicaid benefits will continue.
  • Schoolkids in the federal lunch program won’t go hungry, and food stamps will still be distributed. But the special nutritional program for women and infants could shut down.
  • Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington, DC won’t unlock their front gates, and the zoo’s popular Panda-cam will go dark. Staff will show up to feed and care for the animals.
  • The National Institutes of Health will stop its flu-shot program and surveillance of infectious diseases. It won’t take accept clinical patients, but will respond to outbreaks and keep its 24-hour emergency operations center open.
  • Most food inspections by the Food and Drug Administration will be suspended, as will most enforcement action and lab research. But the USDA will continue to inspect meat.
  • The Department of Homeland Security will shut down it’s E-Verify immigration program, meaning businesses won’t be able to check the immigration status of potential new hires.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency will close, except for Superfund site operations.
  • The Veterans Benefits Administration won’t be able to process rehab or educational benefits. But most VA services will go on, including health programs and doctors’ visits. VA hospitals and clinics will be operational.
  • First-time home buyers and low-to-moderate-income loan seekers could see delays in getting their dream homes, as the Federal Housing Authority won’t underwrite or approve any loans.
  • The Labor Department won’t release economic data, depriving Wall Street of key benchmark indicators. But the weekly unemployment figures are still expected to be released.