Tourists will be shut out of museums in Washington, the Statue of Liberty will be available only for photo-ops, and the National Zoo’s Internet panda cam will go dark.
A partial shutdown of the US government means all that plus closure of all national parks across the country, including national treasures such as Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Everglades.
Washington’s 19 Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo and the national parks are among the most popular destinations in the country.
The zoo’s panda cam, popular since the birth of a giant panda in August, will be missed by panda enthusiasts around the world.
“None of our live animal cams will broadcast. The cams require federal resources, primarily staff, to run and broadcast,” the zoo said. “They’ve been deemed non-essential during the shutdown.” The zoo will maintain enough staff to feed and care for the animals.
Altogether, an estimated 800,000 civilian workers considered non-essential employees will be ordered to stay home, furloughed without pay.
“I think it’s important that everybody understands the federal government is America’s largest employer,” President Barack Obama said. “More than 2 million civilian workers and 1.4 million active duty military serve in all 50 states and all around the world.” The furloughs will be felt across the government.
Most operations at NASA will halt, though the space agency’s mission control will remain open to support orbiting astronauts on the international space station.
Nearly all workers at the departments of labour, housing and urban development, health and human services, education and commerce will be ordered to stay home, the Washington Post reported. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency will operate with less than 10 per cent of their workforce.
Effect on White House
The White House will be hit hard: Of the 1,701 people on the payroll, 1,265 of them will be furloughed, according to the Post.
Almost 18 years ago, unpaid interns remained to help the bare-bones White House staff. One of them was Monica Lewinski, whose affair with President Bill Clinton started during the 1995-96 shutdown and was revealed years later, with a coverup leading to his impeachment.
On Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said current interns would not be among the “skeletal staff” asked to come to work.
Those least affected
The agencies least affected by the shutdown are responsible for national security. Social Security checks for the elderly and disabled, Medicare services for senior citizens and mail delivery will not be interrupted, Obama said.
US troops will continue to serve, as will air-traffic controllers, prison guards and border control agents, though their paychecks will be delayed, Obama said.
The US State Department will continue to issue passports and visas, which are paid for by user fees rather than tax money. The issuance of passports and visas could be affected, however, if specific offices are in government buildings that are closed.
US embassies and consulates around the world will remain open, and the US Agency for International Development will continue, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, said.
“Because we’re able to sustain our operations on a limited basis, the vast majority of normal functions and operations will continue,” she said.
However, Psaki said State Department programmes can be sustained only on a limited basis for a short period of time.