US GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN:
Major US landmarks closed as blame game erupts over shutdown
Symbols of American promise have become emblems of dysfunction as the impact of a US Government shutdown forces scores of landmarks, agencies and outposts to close their doors. Republicans and Democrats appear no closer to settling their differences over immigration policy and striking an agreement to fund the Government and end the shutdown.
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island turned away visitors in New York on Saturday due to what the National Park Service described as “a lapse in appropriations”. That’s a bureaucratic term for a lack of money.
“To get this close where you can see them, and the government shuts them down — that’s very, very frustrating,” said Dan O’Meara, a firefighter from California.
“But now, we’re not allowed to go out there and see it.”
In Philadelphia, crowds of tourists can’t get in to see the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. The shuttered icons were some of the easiest-to-spot impacts of the partial Government closure. Funds ran out at midnight on Friday, leaving 48 hours before the most dramatic effect — the furloughing of nearly a million federal employees — goes into effect.
As in shutdowns past, federal services were carved into two categories — essential and non-essential — with the former set to carry on as normal. In that category, the mail will be delivered and Social Security cheques still go out, the air traffic control system stays up and running, as do the FBI, Customs and Border Protection and veterans’ hospitals.
President Donald Trump’s administration also said it planned to keep national parks open with rangers and security guards on duty. The parks were closed during the last shutdown in 2013, which upset many tourists and resulted in the loss of US$625 million in visitor spending in areas around the parks and at the Smithsonian museums.
Still, there were plenty of inconveniences to irk American taxpayers. The State Department warned that it could have problems processing passports. While active-duty troops will stay at their posts, people stationed overseas were touched by the political fallout almost immediately.
The American Forces Network, which broadcasts American radio and television programming in Europe and other locations outside the US, put a message on its Facebook page that said its services would not be available “due to the government shutdown”.
The notice sparked a series of angry reactions from viewers, with several noting that the timing couldn’t have been worse: The NFL conference championships will be played on Sunday.
Without a quick deal, most day-today operations in the US government will be disrupted. Government employees will be put on temporary unpaid leave, and almost half of the two million civilian workers will be barred from doing their jobs, including many of the White House’s 1700 workers.
If the shutdown lasts just days or even a couple of weeks, the robust stock market that Mr Trump has boasted about probably will emerge unscathed.
But economists say a longer impasse could rattle consumer and investor confidence, pulling stocks lower and dragging down the economy.