w*****s
发帖数: 2896 | 1 No national parks. No Smithsonian. (And no Panda Cam.) No new applications
for social security, no tax audits, no way to check that the employee you
want to hire is a citizen.
The government officially shut down at midnight Oct. 1. Hundreds of
thousands of federal workers were furloughed, and some of the D.C.-based
services tourists and locals alike rely on will be closed.
Here’s a list of what you likely can and can’t do during a government
shutdown. We’ll be adding to the list; if you know of something we’ve left
off, email us and we’ll research it.
During a shutdown, you can:
Get help from 911: All emergency services will continue as usual, including
law enforcement and emergency and disaster assistance.
Get caught by a red light camera in D.C.: Red light cameras will still be
running, and tickets will still be sent out, which brings us to the next
item on the list....
Get mail: Employees of the United States Postal Service are exempt from
furloughs.
Get your Social Security benefits: Payments will still be issued, although
some could be delayed due to a reduction in workforce.
Get a passport, probably: The Bureau of Consular Affairs is funded by fees
rather than appropriated funds, so it will continue to operate, a
spokesperson tells NBC Washington. However, some State Department passport
offices are located in federal buildings that may have to shut down, so you
should check to see if your preferred passport office is open before
visiting.
Sign up for healthcare exchanges: Despite the GOP's attempts to defund or
delay the Affordable Care Act, the plan is already funded, and online
healthcare exchanges are scheduled to open Tuesday for uninsured Americans.
(Read more.)
Get your trash picked up, even if you live in D.C.: Even if Mayor Vincent
Gray's attempt to declare all city workers essential is rejected, the
district has about two weeks' worth of money on hand already authorized by
Congress, which might be enough to wait out a fairly brief shutdown.
Be protected by the U.S. military: All active-duty military personnel are
exempt from furloughs, and Congress has approved a measure to continue to
pay troops on time.
Ride Amtrak: While Amtrak receives federal subsidies, it's organized as a
corporation and collects enough revenue in ticket fees to outlast a brief
shutdown.
Take Metrorail and Metrobus: Metro assured riders Monday that the system
would stay open in the event of a shutdown, although it could shorten some
trains (for example, from eight cars to six) if ridership is down because
fewer people are going to work.
Travel by air: Federal air traffic controllers and most TSA agents would
continue showing up to work, although you may find some longer lines at
security checkpoints.
Apply for a new patent: The U.S Patent Office is funded for the next four
weeks, which should be enough to outlast any government shutdown.
Safely eat meat: Meat inspectors with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (
USDA) will continue to report to work because they're essential for public
safety.
Learn about the unemployment rate: The September jobs report will be
released Friday.
Get an unemployment check: Checks will still be sent out, although some
payments may be delayed due to a reduction in workforce.
Get food stamps: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits
will continue to be distributed.
Pay taxes: All tax payments will continue to be processed. Note that
millions of taxpayers have requested 6-month extensions on their 2012 tax
filings, and that the deadline for that is Oct. 15. That deadline is not
expected to change.
Get weather warnings and watches: All National Weather Service offices will
be open and will continue to provide forecasts and severe weather alerts.
During a shutdown, you can't:
Apply for new Medicare or Social Security benefits: While current recipients
will continue to receive payments, a reduction in staff would mean no new
applications can be processed.
Visit the Capitol: While the Capitol will remain open for congressional
matters, it will be closed to visitors.
Get a new small business loan: Existing loans would be honored, but new
applications would not be accepted.
Go to the Smithsonian or National Zoo: About 90 percent of the museums' 6,
400 workers will be furloughed, with all museums and the zoo to be closed.
The animals will still get fed, but visitors won't be around to see that.
Camp in a national park: All national parks -- from Yosemite to Shenandoah
National Park -- will close, and day visitors will have to leave immediately
. (But longer-term campers already in parks will have two days to leave.)
Visit a Civil War Battlefield: Like national parks, historic battlefields
will be closed.
Watch the Zoo's Panda Cam: We know -- in the event of a government shutdown,
there are more important things for many people to worry about. But D.C.'s
first panda cub in years was a cause for celebration around the region, and
huge numbers of fans have flocked to the Panda Cam since the cub's birth in
August.
Visit the monuments: D.C.'s monuments are under control of the National Park
Service, which means tourists wouldn't get to visit sites such as the
Lincoln, World War II or Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorials. The NPS will
begin turning off fountains and blocking entrances early Tuesday in the
event of a shutdown.
Check the legal work status of an employee: The E-Verify system allows
employers across the country to check on immigration status, but it's a
federal website, which means it would be shut down.
Continue to be audited: The IRS will suspend audit activities. (They will
begin again as soon as the government shutdown is over.)
Go rowing, if you're part of a crew team that uses a boathouse on federal
land: Many local high school teams use boathouses on the Anacostia and
Potomac rivers, but access would be cut off in the event of a shutdown. |
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