General Discussion

Everything You Need To Know About The Government Shutdown

By Annie-Rose Strasser

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Who’s Affected

Everyone will be affected by the shutdown in some way. In terms of direct impact, federal employees — about 800,000 of them who aren’t considered “essential personnel” — will have it worst, since they’re not able to work or get paid during a shutdown. For some perspective, 97 percent of NASA and 94 percent of the Environmental Protection Agency are considered nonessential. Several other programs will also bear the brunt of the shutdown. Here’s ThinkProgress’s list from earlier in the week:

FINANCIAL SERVICES. The Small Business Administration will stop making loans, federal home loan guarantees will likely go on hold, and students applying for financial aid could also see delays and backlogs in applications.

HEALTH CARE. The National Institutes of Health will stop accepting new patients and delay or stop clinical trials. Medicare and the Veterans administration will continue paying out benefits, but new filers could face delays and doctors and hospitals may also have to wait for reimbursements.

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DISASTER RELIEF. In preparation for a potential shutdown, the Utah National Guard is holding off on sending a team to help rebuild areas in Colorado devastated by massive floods last week. More National Guard engineers are desperately needed to repair major roads and bridges in Colorado. Roughly 240 Colorado National Guardsmen currently working on flood missions are also in danger of losing funding.

NUTRITION FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Though food stamps will still be available in the event of a shutdown, the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program, a service meant to help new and expecting mothers and their young children get nutritious foods, will not. If a shutdown lasts for more than a few days, the roughly 9 million Americans who rely on WIC could see their assistance dry up, leaving them food-insecure.

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http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/10/01/2706621/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-government-shutdown/

The nine most painful impacts of a government shutdown

By Brad Plumer

1) More than 2 million federal workers will go without pay indefinitely — and many of them might never get repaid.
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2) Millions of veterans may not receive benefits if the shutdown lasts more than two weeks.
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3) The CDC will halt its flu program just as flu season gets underway.
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4) Some food-safety operations would cease.
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5) Nutritional programs for women, infants and children could cease after a week.
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6) Financing for small businesses could be hampered.
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7) The tourist trade would take a hit.
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8) Head Start programs for hundreds of kids will slowly start closing.
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9) Disability benefits could be interrupted.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/10/01/the-nine-most-painful-consequences-of-a-government-shutdown/