Workers, parks strained in shutdown

More than 800,000 out of 3 million federal workers have entered the second week of a partial US government shutdown and have taken to social media to voice their concerns, while national parks have been left untended.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump insisted he would keep the government closed for “as long as it takes” to fund a border wall between the United States and Mexico. He also met with congressional leaders on Wednesday, but Reuters reported there was no visible progress.

Trump, who is seeking $5 billion for the wall, invited congressional leaders to return to the White House for another meeting on Friday, the day after Democrats take over as the majority in the House of Representatives.

“I am a single mother of three with no help. Not knowing if I can pay rent or feed my family next week is hard. … My kids feel my anxiety too,” a twitter user named @mj4ever wrote. She is one of the federal workers who have taken to Twitter to express financial concerns.

“I’m an essential employee. I’ll get paid, but when?! We live paycheck to paycheck. I’m terrified we won’t be able to pay our mortgage, student loans, and other bills next month if this shutdown continues,” wrote Twitter user Becki. “I’ve literally woken up from nightmares about it already.”

Becki is one of the 420,000 federal employees who are considered “essential”, and are working without immediate pay, while another 380,000 are currently furloughed from their jobs.

There is a heavy concentration of federal workers in the Washington region, but the majority of federal employees work outside the nation’s capital. California, Texas, Florida and Georgia account for about 20 percent of the overall civilian workforce, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management.

A federal employees union representing some 400,000 essential personnel filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Trump administration, alleging that the partial government shutdown is illegally forcing these employees to work without pay since Dec 22.

In the past, including the 16-day shutdown in 2013, federal workers received back pay. That outcome is not guaranteed because it requires Congress and the White House to work together to pass a law mandating back pay.

The partial shutdown also has affected US national parks, museums and other attractions.

Empty beer cans, broken sleds, plastic plates, as well as human waste are overflowing in many US national reserves and parks as the prevents federal employees from cleaning toilets and picking up trash.

California’s Joshua Tree National Park, with more than 792,000 acres, closed its campgrounds on Wednesday.

“The park is being forced to take this action for health and safety concerns as vault toilets reach capacity,” the National Park Service said.

Human waste also has created a health hazard in Yosemite after visitors began using the roadside as a replacement for public toilets, according to a Los Angeles Times’ report on Monday.

As with other national parks, Joshua Tree and Yosemite will remain open during the shutdown, but unlike some previous government shutdowns, when national parks closed entirely, gates have remained opened. There are no entry fees because no one is there to take the money.

Visitor centers are closed at other national parks, but with the free access, people are going to the parks and, according to media reports, they are finding trash cans overflowing and restrooms locked.

But in New York, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island will stay open during the shutdown. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday that New York state will pay the $65,000 it costs per day to keep the monument and Ellis Island open to visitors, which includes personnel and operation costs.

In the nation’s capital, rubbish also has begun to pile up outside national sites, including around the National Mall and the White House.

Tourists are also disappointed as the popular National Zoo, which features pandas from China, Smithsonian museums such as the Air and Space, African American History and Natural History museums, are now closed.

Linda St Thomas, Smithsonian spokeswoman, told the BBC that approximately 1.2 million visitors will be turned away if the shutdown continues through January, and about two-thirds of the employees are now furloughed.

With the closure of the National Zoo, the “Panda Cam,” a popular live video stream of the zoo’s three giant pandas – Tian Tian, Mei Xiang and Bei Bei, also went offline, causing consternation among fans.

The impact of the shutdown also has reached government agencies including the Internal Revenue Service and the nation’s 62 immigration courts, as hundreds of judges are on furlough, and only cases of immigrants in detention are being heard.

KEVIN LAMARQUE / REUTERS