Consider the federal subcontractors who clean federal buildings and staff cafeterias. They only get paid when they work, and now they don’t have work for a few weeks. It’ll be a grim holiday for a lot of low-wage workers.
What a huge waste of money and resources for something that polls show a majority of Americans do not want.
My prayers and best wishes go out to all who are affected, either directly or indirectly. I wish humans couldn’t “play” with the lives of others regardless of which “side” they are playing on.
There are all sorts of ripple effects, like the subcontractors @Cardinal Fang mentions in #20. In my area there are some local farm stands on federal land that will now be forced to shut down. In some cases these are farms that have been in the same family for generations. In the 2013 shutdown one farm in my town lost $10,000 in revenue. It may be small potatoes in the larger scheme of things, but to that one farmer it was a major blow. He wanted to work but received a notice from the Park Service saying he wasn’t allowed to open the stand.
Government employees will get paid in arrears. Some politicians like to downplay the impact of a government shutdown because they say that employees will eventually get paid in arrears however their productivity is lost during the shutdown period so that is very much a huge cost to taxpayers! Inefficiency!
And, yes, definitely ripple effects throughout the economy as those who service the government and its workers (ex: even lunch spots and coffee shops that cater to government workers) will be taking a hit. I think you have to live in a bubble and not understand basic economic principles to think this doesn’t have a financial impact on many, many people.
Chef Jose Andres announced on twitter that his restaurants will provide free sandwiches to Government workers and their families every day until the shutdown ends.
He is a beautiful person.
Last I checked, TSA operates 24/7 and I understand they will continue to do so without pay for now. And yes, I know Congress will authorize back pay once the new budget resolution is passed, but as Cardinal Fang points out, those living paycheck to paycheck will find it tough, especially at this time of year.
I have lived in the DC area for 35 years. This is hard on a lot of people. Yes the government employees will likely get back pay…eventually. Meanwhile it’s tough to be a young person not making a lot , paying DC rent, likely paying student loans or a single mom supporting a family, etc.
And as @doschicos says a lot of small businesses are hurt.
Many of our friends are contractors for various gov’t agencies (or work for local companies who hold federal contracts). They are the ones who tend to bear the freight of these shutdowns, because they aren’t allowed to work under the terms of engagement in contracting scenarios and aren’t included in retroactive pay restorations. This covers folks across the board – cleaning services, IT folks, defense/health contractors, project managers at various departments, etc.
This time around it’s a partial shutdown, unlike some of the others. Some agencies (parts of FDA) get enough external funding/fees to keep going for a while, others don’t. The food trucks, cafes, drug stores and other shops that get business from fed EEs and the other folks who support them also take a hit.
My H is affected but with Monday off it won’t happen until Wednesday for him. I did read somewhere that because of way paychecks work for prior period that next paycheck will still go out for last period that just ended (next payday on 31st for my H). If that is true hopefully it will be resolved and no one will miss actual paycheck. My H was taking use or lose days off next week and now that won’t happen with furlough.
FYI, If anyone was planning to get or renew passports over winter break, maybe do it sooner rather than later. The info I read said that these will continue, something like "as long as fee revenue continues.’
So far, unless you work for certain government agencies or their contractors, the shutdown won’t affect most people at all.
@TS0104 - I hope you’re right about passport renewals getting done! I sent mine in on Thursday and need it for trip to visit DD in March. We haven’t seen her since July and I don’t want anything to mess up our plans! DH’s early November Global Entry application is still “in process” so it would be a nuisance if it doesn’t finalize before we leave but wouldn’t stop the trip like my not having a passport would!
Or own or work in a business with many customers who are employees of those government agencies or contractors, such as restaurants in Washington, DC.
Or have any kind of business with those government agencies.
Or apply for a passport.
Or visit a national park.
Or call the SSA, IRS, etc. for some customer service matter.
Or go through airport security screening with grumpier TSA people.
These government shutdowns are an absolute waste. I don’t know why they are still used as a political weapon. They don’t save money, they cost money. Taxpayers lose services, contractors get completely hosed, and some government workers get time off and delayed paychecks. They should remove this as an option used to fight over the budget.
Correction: @busdriver11 the national parks are open. Just not the visitor’s centers. But I get Facebook feeds from a lot of them and they are open. You don’t need a visitor’s center to enjoy the parks.
For perspective …(from the least politically charged source I could find before my first cup of coffee). There have been 21 shutdowns to date, the longest lasting 21 days.
https://www.thoughtco.com/government-shutdown-history-3368274
@TatinG, the restrooms will be closed, which may make visiting problematic.
@TatinG, parks may be open*, but there will be no maintenance, including bathrooms, trash removal and plowing of parking lots and paths. The park service won’t be issuing permits or updating their websites.
Hopefully the shutdown will be brief and the effects won’t be felt by most Americans, but even if it does turn out to be a shutdown measured in hours instead of weeks I feel for people who don’t currently know when they’ll be getting their next paycheck. That has to very stressful, particularly during the holidays,
*This is the message on the website for the national park in my community. Clear as mud.
I’ve been to a ton of national parks and NPS sites, and it would absolutely not be the same experience without visitors centers and rangers and ranger programs (not to mention restrooms, trash collection, and food service). And many sites are historic sites mostly or wholly indoors (including some we were planning to visit next week), which are very likely not open at all. And since websites aren’t being updated, it’s difficult to impossible to figure out what’s going to be open before you drive all the way there.