The American federal government has closed after republican and democratic legislators have not resolved a budgetary dead end.
The impasse affects the financing of government operations until October and beyond, and is about to disrupt the Americans in areas ranging from air trips to zoo visits.
Political blocking should also put 40% of the federal workforce – around 750,000 people – on unpaid leave.
This is how its impact could be felt across the country.
Your next flight
A federal judgment could strike leaflets in various ways, which potentially leads to long security queues and delays caused by unpaid air traffic controllers who choose to stay at home rather than working for free.
Air traffic control workers and transport safety (ASD) are considered “essential”, they will therefore continue to go to work.
But they will not be paid until the end of the stop. When this happened, in 2018-2019, these workers have more and more started to call the sick, causing delays that had a training effect across the country.
Americans who plan to travel abroad could also be affected, with American passport agencies warning that it could take more time than usual to process travel documents.
No work – or pay – for federal workers
Federal employees should be the hardest because they will not receive any pay check during the closure.
The law enforcement agents will continue to work thanks to the closure of the government – although more than 200,000 of them make him unpaid, the secretary of domestic security Kristi Noem wrote on X.
Pursuing their work as usual is also border protection staff, including glacial agents (immigration and customs application), hospital care and air traffic control.
According to CBS News, the BBC American media partner, the five government services with the best known staff are:
- Department of Defense (civilian staff): 334 904 on leave, 406,573
- Health Department: 32,460 on leave, 47,257 preserved
- Trade Department: 34,711 Conferences, 8,273 preserved
- State Department: 16,651 on leave, 10,344 preserved
- NASA: 15,094 on leave, 3,124 preserved
Some workers can choose to take a second work, as they did during previous closures. Employees who are not considered essential will be forced to stay at home. In the past, these workers were then paid retrospectively.
Several agencies, such as the centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are likely to compete for many workers, affecting research and experiences already underway.
President Donald Trump, who has reduced public spending and reduces federal jobs since taking office, has repeatedly warned that a closure could accelerate other layoffs and allow him to reduce the services and programs which, according to him, are important for Democrats.
Entrepreneurs working for federal agencies but are not directly employed by the government will also miss work. These workers have historically did not receive from the back, according to the committee of a responsible federal budget.
Congress members will however be paid. They are protected by the American Constitution – an agreement between certain legislators.
National parks without staff
Federal lands, including national parks and national forests, were closed to visitors during previous closures because the rangers and other employees were invited to stay at home.
During the last closure, the Trump administration made the decision to leave the parks open, with little or no federal workers there to provide them.
According to the defenders of the park, the decision led to vandalism in the parks, while visitors crossed protected landscapes, looted historical sites and littered in a stripped manner.
A group of more than 40 former park superintendents called on the White House to completely close the parks in the event of closure.
“We do not leave the museums open without preservatives or airports without air controllers – and we must not leave our national parks open without the workers of the National Park Service,” said Emily Thompson from the coalition to protect American national parks.
Visit to the zoo
The famous museums of the Smithsonian institution will remain open until at least Monday, October 6.
On the Smithsonian website, the organization said it had money available from years before to help it work.
The animals of the national zoo “will continue to be fed and neat”, according to the Smithsonian, which manages the zoo.
But popular webcams will be closed because they have been deemed not essential by zoo staff, so that viewers cannot take a look at pandas, lions, elephants and bare rats.
Health care for the elderly and poor
Medicare and Medicaid, the social health programs for the elderly and the poor, will continue, but the shortages of staff could lead to certain interruptions.
Food assistance programs will also be affected, the additional nutrition program for women, infants and children (WIC) should be short of funds.
The additional nutrition assistance program (formerly known as food coupons) is expected to continue longer, but may lack funding.
Rescuers in the event of an emergency disaster will also be largely not affected, but the other work carried out by disaster agencies will be assigned.
The national flood insurance program will be closed, delaying certain mortgages on the properties that require policies of the government.
But if the closure takes place, it is possible that the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) can lack money for its rescue fund in the event of a disaster.
The mail will always arrive
The American postal service was not affected by government closings – and this time is not different.
In a statement published on its website earlier this week, the service said that all post offices would remain open to business as usual.
Indeed, the postal service does not depend on the congress for funding. It is an independent entity which is generally funded by the sale of its products and services, not by taxes.
