Wednesday 2 October 2013

Americans anxious, irritated as gov't shuts down The Associated Press - By DEEPTI HAJELA - Associated Pres


Americans anxious, irritated as gov't shuts down
The Associated Press - By DEEPTI HAJELA - Associated Press
14 hours ago
  • Park Ranger Christine MacKarvich mans the Shark Valley entrance booth in Everglades National Park, early Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. She was told to report to work but had been warned that a call from the park service would shut the park down. The partial government shutdown that began Tuesday left many federal workers uncertain of their financial future, with many facing unpaid furloughs or delays in paychecks. A midnight deadline to avert the shutdown passed amid congressional bickering, leaving Americans unable to get government services ranging from federally backed home loans to supplemental food assistance for children and pregnant women.(AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
  • People walk near Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
  • A sign explaining the closing of the Library of Congress is posted outside the Library of Congress in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
  • A jogger takes advantage of the empty steps at the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, past a sign saying the museum is closed. All of the Smithsonian museums are closed as a result of a budget impasse on Capitol Hill that has shut down many part of the government. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
  • A National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade to close access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2013 photo, a National Guard soldier mans a roadblock as a bulldozer clears concrete flood debris from a damaged road being repaired after last week's flood, west of Longmont, Colo. A bitter budget fight has led to a U.S. government shutdown Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without paychecks and shutting down federal services all over the country. National Guard soldiers rebuilding washed-out roads in Colorado would apparently be paid on time _ along with the rest of the country’s active-duty personnel _ under a bill passed hours before the shutdown. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
  • National Park Service guide Terry Papavasilis talks with visitors about the Liberty Bell at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013 as the government teeters on the brink of a partial shutdown at midnight unless Congress can reach an agreement on funding. A conservative challenge to President Barack Obama's cherished health care law pushed the federal government to the brink of a partial shutdown Monday, with the Senate expected to convene just hours before a deadline to pass a temporary spending bill. If no compromise can be reached by midnight, Americans would soon see the impact: National parks would close. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
  • With hours to go until a possible government shutdown, visitors tour the Rotunda of the. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. Capitol officials said today that if a shutdown goes into effect, all organized tours of the Capitol and the Capitol Visitors Center will be suspended. The Senate has the next move on must-do legislation required to keep the government open, and the Democratic-led chamber is expected to reject the latest effort from House Republicans to use a normally routine measure to attack President Barack Obama's signature health care law. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
  • Visitors to Independence National Historical Park are reflected in the window of the closed building housing the Liberty Bell, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in Philadelphia. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
  • Park Ranger Scott Rolfes locks a gate closing a road over the dam at Saylorville Lake, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in Saylorville, Iowa. About 800,000 federal workers are being forced off the job in the first government shutdown in 17 years, suspending most nonessential federal programs and services.(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
  • Tourists who had hoped to visit the Statue of Liberty stand near the dock used by Liberty Island ferries, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in New York. A government shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • A jogger takes advantage of the empty steps at the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, past a sign saying the museum is closed. All of the Smithsonian museums are closed as a result of a budget impasse on Capitol Hill that has shut down many part of the government. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
  • A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • Tourist Tomoko Ida, right, of Tokyo, covers her mouth when she hears that the Statue of Liberty is closed, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in New York. Traveling with her are Jin Onuki, left, and Tomoya Osada. The shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • Tourists who had hoped to visit the Statue of Liberty stand near the dock used by Liberty Island ferries, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in New York. A government shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • A park ranger, who declined to give his name, reads a sign announcing the closing of the Statue of Liberty, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in New York. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law forced about 800,000 federal workers off the job, suspending all but essential services. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • Jeanne Holler, Deputy Refuge Manager at the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Center, hangs a "Closed" signs outside the center in Bloomington, Minn., early Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. All of Minnesota's national parks and other national recreational sites will be closed due to the government shut down. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Elizabeth Flores) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT
  • People walk near Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
  • A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • A US Park Police officer ties police tape to a hand rail closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • A US Park Police officer walks behind a barricade with sign reading "Because of the Federal Government SHUTDOWN All National Parks are Closed" in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • Park Ranger Christine MacKarvich mans the Shark Valley entrance booth in Everglades National Park, early Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. She was told to report to work but had been warned that a call from the park service would shut the park down. The partial government shutdown that began Tuesday left many federal workers uncertain of their financial future, with many facing unpaid furloughs or delays in paychecks. A midnight deadline to avert the shutdown passed amid congressional bickering, leaving Americans unable to get government services ranging from federally backed home loans to supplemental food assistance for children and pregnant women.(AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
  • People walk near Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
  • A sign explaining the closing of the Library of Congress is posted outside the Library of Congress in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
  • A jogger takes advantage of the empty steps at the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, past a sign saying the museum is closed. All of the Smithsonian museums are closed as a result of a budget impasse on Capitol Hill that has shut down many part of the government. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
  • A National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade to close access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2013 photo, a National Guard soldier mans a roadblock as a bulldozer clears concrete flood debris from a damaged road being repaired after last week's flood, west of Longmont, Colo. A bitter budget fight has led to a U.S. government shutdown Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without paychecks and shutting down federal services all over the country. National Guard soldiers rebuilding washed-out roads in Colorado would apparently be paid on time _ along with the rest of the country’s active-duty personnel _ under a bill passed hours before the shutdown. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
  • National Park Service guide Terry Papavasilis talks with visitors about the Liberty Bell at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013 as the government teeters on the brink of a partial shutdown at midnight unless Congress can reach an agreement on funding. A conservative challenge to President Barack Obama's cherished health care law pushed the federal government to the brink of a partial shutdown Monday, with the Senate expected to convene just hours before a deadline to pass a temporary spending bill. If no compromise can be reached by midnight, Americans would soon see the impact: National parks would close. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
  • With hours to go until a possible government shutdown, visitors tour the Rotunda of the. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. Capitol officials said today that if a shutdown goes into effect, all organized tours of the Capitol and the Capitol Visitors Center will be suspended. The Senate has the next move on must-do legislation required to keep the government open, and the Democratic-led chamber is expected to reject the latest effort from House Republicans to use a normally routine measure to attack President Barack Obama's signature health care law. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
  • Visitors to Independence National Historical Park are reflected in the window of the closed building housing the Liberty Bell, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in Philadelphia. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
  • Park Ranger Scott Rolfes locks a gate closing a road over the dam at Saylorville Lake, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in Saylorville, Iowa. About 800,000 federal workers are being forced off the job in the first government shutdown in 17 years, suspending most nonessential federal programs and services.(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
  • Tourists who had hoped to visit the Statue of Liberty stand near the dock used by Liberty Island ferries, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in New York. A government shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • A jogger takes advantage of the empty steps at the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, past a sign saying the museum is closed. All of the Smithsonian museums are closed as a result of a budget impasse on Capitol Hill that has shut down many part of the government. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
  • A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • Tourist Tomoko Ida, right, of Tokyo, covers her mouth when she hears that the Statue of Liberty is closed, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in New York. Traveling with her are Jin Onuki, left, and Tomoya Osada. The shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • Tourists who had hoped to visit the Statue of Liberty stand near the dock used by Liberty Island ferries, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in New York. A government shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • A park ranger, who declined to give his name, reads a sign announcing the closing of the Statue of Liberty, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in New York. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law forced about 800,000 federal workers off the job, suspending all but essential services. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • Jeanne Holler, Deputy Refuge Manager at the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Center, hangs a "Closed" signs outside the center in Bloomington, Minn., early Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. All of Minnesota's national parks and other national recreational sites will be closed due to the government shut down. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Elizabeth Flores) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT
  • People walk near Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
  • A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • A US Park Police officer ties police tape to a hand rail closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • A US Park Police officer walks behind a barricade with sign reading "Because of the Federal Government SHUTDOWN All National Parks are Closed" in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • Park Ranger Christine MacKarvich mans the Shark Valley entrance booth in Everglades National Park, early Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. She was told to report to work but had been warned that a call from the park service would shut the park down. The partial government shutdown that began Tuesday left many federal workers uncertain of their financial future, with many facing unpaid furloughs or delays in paychecks. A midnight deadline to avert the shutdown passed amid congressional bickering, leaving Americans unable to get government services ranging from federally backed home loans to supplemental food assistance for children and pregnant women.(AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
  • People walk near Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
  • A sign explaining the closing of the Library of Congress is posted outside the Library of Congress in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
  • A jogger takes advantage of the empty steps at the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, past a sign saying the museum is closed. All of the Smithsonian museums are closed as a result of a budget impasse on Capitol Hill that has shut down many part of the government. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
  • A National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade to close access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2013 photo, a National Guard soldier mans a roadblock as a bulldozer clears concrete flood debris from a damaged road being repaired after last week's flood, west of Longmont, Colo. A bitter budget fight has led to a U.S. government shutdown Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without paychecks and shutting down federal services all over the country. National Guard soldiers rebuilding washed-out roads in Colorado would apparently be paid on time _ along with the rest of the country’s active-duty personnel _ under a bill passed hours before the shutdown. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, File)
  • National Park Service guide Terry Papavasilis talks with visitors about the Liberty Bell at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013 as the government teeters on the brink of a partial shutdown at midnight unless Congress can reach an agreement on funding. A conservative challenge to President Barack Obama's cherished health care law pushed the federal government to the brink of a partial shutdown Monday, with the Senate expected to convene just hours before a deadline to pass a temporary spending bill. If no compromise can be reached by midnight, Americans would soon see the impact: National parks would close. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
  • With hours to go until a possible government shutdown, visitors tour the Rotunda of the. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013. Capitol officials said today that if a shutdown goes into effect, all organized tours of the Capitol and the Capitol Visitors Center will be suspended. The Senate has the next move on must-do legislation required to keep the government open, and the Democratic-led chamber is expected to reject the latest effort from House Republicans to use a normally routine measure to attack President Barack Obama's signature health care law. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
  • Visitors to Independence National Historical Park are reflected in the window of the closed building housing the Liberty Bell, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in Philadelphia. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
  • Park Ranger Scott Rolfes locks a gate closing a road over the dam at Saylorville Lake, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in Saylorville, Iowa. About 800,000 federal workers are being forced off the job in the first government shutdown in 17 years, suspending most nonessential federal programs and services.(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
  • Tourists who had hoped to visit the Statue of Liberty stand near the dock used by Liberty Island ferries, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in New York. A government shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • A jogger takes advantage of the empty steps at the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, past a sign saying the museum is closed. All of the Smithsonian museums are closed as a result of a budget impasse on Capitol Hill that has shut down many part of the government. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)
  • A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • Tourist Tomoko Ida, right, of Tokyo, covers her mouth when she hears that the Statue of Liberty is closed, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in New York. Traveling with her are Jin Onuki, left, and Tomoya Osada. The shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • Tourists who had hoped to visit the Statue of Liberty stand near the dock used by Liberty Island ferries, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013 in New York. A government shutdown, the first since the winter of 1995-96, closed national parks across the nation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • A park ranger, who declined to give his name, reads a sign announcing the closing of the Statue of Liberty, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013, in New York. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law forced about 800,000 federal workers off the job, suspending all but essential services. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
  • Jeanne Holler, Deputy Refuge Manager at the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Center, hangs a "Closed" signs outside the center in Bloomington, Minn., early Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. All of Minnesota's national parks and other national recreational sites will be closed due to the government shut down. (AP Photo/Star Tribune, Elizabeth Flores) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT
  • People walk near Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
  • A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • A US Park Police officer ties police tape to a hand rail closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • A US Park Police officer watches at left as a National Park Service employee posts a sign on a barricade closing access to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800, 000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
  • A US Park Police officer walks behind a barricade with sign reading "Because of the Federal Government SHUTDOWN All National Parks are Closed" in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2013. Congress plunged the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
NEW YORK (AP) — The partial government shutdown that began Tuesday threw into turmoil the household finances of some federal workers, with many facing unpaid furloughs or delays in paychecks.
Park ranger and father-to-be Darquez Smith said he already lives paycheck to paycheck while putting himself through college and worried how he'll fare if the checks stop coming.
"I've got a lot on my plate right now — tuition, my daughter, bills," said Smith, 23, a ranger at Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park in Ohio. "I'm just confused and waiting just like everyone else."
Robert Turner, 45, a building mechanic at the Smithsonian's American History museum in Washington, said he and co-workers were heading in for several hours to turn off the water and take out the trash. Then, he planned to go to Ocean City, Md., and return when he's called back.
"After next week if we're not working I'm going to have to find a job," Turner said, explaining he doesn't want to have to eat into savings.
A Monday deadline to avert the shutdown passed amid a budget impasse in Congress, leaving thousands of federal workers idled and most non-essential government services halted for the first time in nearly two decades. Millions of Americans were unable to get government services ranging from federally backed home loans to supplemental food assistance for children and pregnant women.
The impact of the shutdown was mixed — immediate and far-reaching for some, annoying but minimal for others.
In Colorado, where flooding killed eight people earlier this month, emergency funds to help rebuild homes and businesses continued to flow — but federal worker furloughs were expected to slow it down.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)