US shutdown: How the federal government closure is impacting millions

On Saturday, the partial federal government shutdown entered its 22nd day, making it the longest such shutdown in US history. Donald Trump has argued that the shutdown is necessary to win funding for a wall to address what he says is a crisis on the Mexico border. But 69% of Americans say a border wall should not be a priority and according to polling , the public is increasingly blaming Trump for the shutdown.

For everyday Americans, the implications of the shutdown grow each day. Although core government functions such as military capabilities and public pension and health programs remain largely unaffected, many federal agencies have suspended their functions and hundreds of thousands of workers are no longer being paid, including many employees forced to work or risk losing their jobs.

With no political solution on the horizon, Trump has warned that the shutdown could last “months or even years”. Here is a roundup of impacts from the shutdown so far.

Suspended salaries

An estimated 800,000 federal workers have missed at least one and in many cases two paychecks, creating an alarming number of personal crises in the form of missed rent, car or mortgage payments; spoiled credit ratings; lapsed insurance policies; healthcare and childcare conflicts; and in some cases food emergencies.

Affected households are mostly on the lower end of the middle-class spectrum, with average take-home pay of about $500 per employee, according to the largest labor union of federal employees. The pinch is keenly felt by African Americans, who fill the ranks of federal employees at proportions greater than their share of the overall population.

People affected by the shutdown have established approximately 1,000 fundraisers on the GoFundMe site to help cover their expenses, a spokeswoman told the Guardian .

Many workers are required to report to work even though they are not being paid, including those who serve essential functions such as airport security and law enforcement.

Airport lines

Transportation Security Administration employees are among those whose work is deemed essential, meaning they must continue to report for work – without pay. Coincidentally, TSA employees have been calling in sick in unprecedented numbers, the New York Times reported , creating crippling airport backups. The TSA is reportedly “beginning to close some security checkpoints”.

Air travel safety gap?

Once through security, the air traveler’s shutdown-related woes are not over. Federal Aviation Administration employees also are required to work without pay, adding stress to the overstretched network of air traffic controllers. Federal aviation safety inspections have ended, the Miami Herald reported , leading furloughed safety inspectors to warn about a possible safety gap.

Environmental impacts

Pollution inspectors with the Environmental Protection Agency have stopped working , and many routine activities such as checks on regulated businesses, clean-ups of toxic superfund sites and the pursuit of criminal polluters have been paused since 28 December. More than 13,000 employees at the EPA are not at work, with just 794 deemed essential staff undertaking the agency’s duties. Employees are planning a “national sick day” to protest the shutdown.

Eviction threats

Millions of Americans who depend on federally subsidized housing run the risk of eviction. Funding for major programs such as Section 8 vouchers, which serves an estimated 5 million Americans in 2.2m households, has lapsed.

Health dangers

Although the Department of Health and Human Services, which funds the main Medicare and Medicaid health programs, is funded through September, important health programs have lapsed. The Food and Drug Administration has suspended key functions such as routine facility inspections, food recalls and reviews of new pharmaceuticals. A key program for health services for Native Americans has lapsed.

Trashed parks

While some national parks and monuments have closed, others have remained open with reduced staff, only to witness vandalism, delayed emergency responses and an overflow of trash. Joshua Tree National Park closed earlier this week after officials announced the vandalism of its distinctive namesake plants and other maintenance and sanitation problems.

Farmers hurt

Farmers reeling from Trump’s trade war with China are further endangered by the shutdown. Emergency federal aide to compensate mainly for a sharp drop in soybean prices has been suspended, while crucial end-of-year agricultural data will not be released on schedule, creating uncertainty in planning.

Immigration backlog

The shutdown has postponed court hearings for thousands of immigrants, potentially meaning years more of waiting for people asking for asylum in the US and helping others stave off deportation, thus “adding to the very delays the Trump administration has railed against”, the Associated Press has noted .

Suspended science

Scientists working in major federal agencies including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Weather Service have had to suspend research work and have not been able to attend conferences. The National Science Foundation has suspended reviews of grant proposals.

Emergency response

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which helps with emergency response and rebuilding efforts after major natural disasters, has not been able to pay contractors. The Fema budget has been further endangered by a plan floated by Trump to reallocate emergency funds from disaster relief to build a border wall.

No zoo, no art

All branches of the Smithsonian – 17 museums and galleries in Washington DC, the National Zoo, and two museums in New York City – are closed. That includes destination tourism sites such as the African American Museum, the Air and Space Musuem and the National History Museum.

Security threats

Among the federal employees working without pay are secret service agents, whose responsibilities include protecting the president; federal prison corrections officers; and agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The head of the FBI labor union said the shutdown endangered national security and could make it harder to recruit and retain agents, and could also cause delays at the FBI lab and in getting or renewing security clearances.

Hungry families

The largest federal food aid program – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Snap – which helps to feed about 40 million Americans, is due to run out of cash by the end of January, the New York Times reported . A food assistance program serving about 7 million women, infants and children, known as WIC, is suspended. For the time being, state funding has filled the resulting gap in some cases.

Stalled markets

The negative economic impact from the shutdown goes beyond the crippling uncertainty felt by global markets. The Security and Exchange Commission has stopped reviewing loan approval applications for public companies, the federal reserve may be hampered by a data shortage and economists warn that economic growth is threatened.

Tax processing

Fearing a true backlash, Trump gave a special – and legally dubious – order for the Internal Revenue Service to continue processing tax refunds, meaning IRS workers are among those required to report for work without pay. But the potential for delays or processing disasters grows as staff resources and morale are stretched.

Stalled home loans

Both the Federal Housing Administration and Department of Veterans Affairs offer federally subsidized home loans – or they used to. The shutdown has stalled that loan activity, potentially affecting thousands of borrowers. The Navy Federal Credit Union is offering no-interest loans, meanwhile.

Justice delayed

The justice department has requested delays in responding to civil litigation including, for example, a challenge brought by Senate Democrats to the legitimacy of acting attorney general Matt Whitaker.

Tech device hurdle

Telecom companies have warned that a Federal Communications Commission shutdown of its device approval process has threatened the rollout of 5G phone service. The FCC has also taken down databases including the Electronic Comment Filing System and Universal Licensing System.