United States government shuts down: Who is affected by it?
Capitol Hill Washington, D.C.—Photo by Joseph Earnest
by Joseph Earnest October 1, 2013
Newscast Media WASHINGTON—Having failed to agree on a federal budget, the US government has been forced to shut down, with the catalyst being resistance of several lawmakers to Obamacare. The closure will affect over 1.8 million federal workers who work in all 50 states.
The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a letter advising federal employees of the necessary steps they should take one minute before midnight on September 30. Below is the entire letter asking agencies to execute a shutdown:
The states with federal employees affected the most are from the Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland area with 143,537, 144,753 and 119,816 employees affected respectively, while California has 150,762 people whose jobs are affected. Texas federal employees whose jobs are affected total 131,580.
The federal agencies that will feel the impact are listed below:
Non-seasonal full-time permanent government employees = 1,850,311.
Source: United States Office of Personnel Management
Average salary of federal employees = $77K. Source: US Office of Personnel Management
In an interview with the Examiner, Texas Governor Rick Perry blamed the Democrat leadership in Congress for being regimented during negotiations.
"House Republicans offered a compromise solution that would temporarily address Republican concerns about Obamacare while also allowing the federal government to continue to operate," Perry said. "But the Obama administration’s and Harry Reid's my-way-or-the-highway mentality jeopardizes essential functions of not only the federal government but also state services. Democrat leadership in Congress has refused to negotiate, and in so doing is jeopardizing thousands of employees, critical services, and economic recovery," he added.
National parks
All national parks across America are shut, including Arizona's Grand Canyon. Small businesses like hotels, restaurants and bike rental places and so forth will be hit hard since they generate most of their revenue from tourism. Arizona alone generates $2.7 million a day in tourism only. (pop-up)
Homeland Security
Employees of Department of Homeland Security, including US Citizenship and Immigration Services will continue to process green card applications and inspections at ports of entry and US borders.
US Military and Veterans services
The almost 1.4 active duty soldiers will continue being funded even though their paychecks may experience slight delays. However, veterans services will continue uninterrupted due to approval of funding ahead of time, avail cash flow and services of retired military personnel and benefits to their families.
Federal courts
Federal courts will continue for another 10 days after the shutdown, but after that, non-essential employees will be furloughed, although cases will continue to be heard.
Mail delivery
Because the United States postal services relies primarily on stamps and other services to generate income for daily operation, and not the federal government, mail delivery will continue as usual.
Domestic and international flights
Due to safety reasons, federal inspectors will continue screening passengers, and also process travel documents at airports, and will also inspect luggage and cargo coming into the country.
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