The nearly 4 million Americans who are federal employees will feel the effect immediately. Essential workers will remain on the job, but others will be furloughed until the shutdown is over. None will be paid during the impasse.
"Most of our members live paycheck to paycheck and can't afford to miss one payday, let alone more," said Everett Kelley, president of the union."That's why we are calling on Congress to do its job and pass a budget to prevent a government-wide shutdown." And some passport facilities could close in the event of a shutdown, the State Department's 2022 guidance states.There could also be massive economic implications. In the event of a shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says it will stop releasing data, including key figures on inflation and unemployment. A lack of crucial government data would make it difficult for investors and the Federal Reserve to interpret the U.S. economy.
The Food and Drug Administration, the White House warns,"could be forced to delay food safety inspections for a wide variety of products all across the country." And it remains unclear whether the National Park Service could close national park sites or surrounding facilities, but that has occurred in past shutdowns, with trash piling up, toilets overflowing and visitors committing acts of vandalism while the park service's workforce was reduced.The Department of Education previously warned that there could be"some level of disruption" to large student aid programs, including Pell Grants, during a shutdown.
Food banks won't be able to place new orders and some of their existing deliveries could be disrupted.