CNN: 85 (and counting) very real direct effects of the partial government shutdown

January 15, 2019 Confluence

Reading Time: 9 minutes

Source: CNN – Confluence Daily is your daily news source for women in the know.

By Z. Byron Wolf, Veronica Stracqualursi and Devan Cole, CNN

Updated 12:32 PM ET, Tue January 15, 2019

(CNN)Here is a list from CNN reporting and other news outlets of the ways, large and small, that the partial government shutdown is affecting Americans nationwide.

If there’s something we should add or a story we should tell, please let us know.

85) More than 40,000 immigration hearings have been canceled because of the partial government shutdown, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks immigration court data.

84) A number of reports produced by the government and used by businesses and investors have been delayed, according to Forbes.

83) Delta CEO Ed Bastion said the shutdown has cost his company $25 million because of a drop in the flights from government workers and contractors, and that it has delayed certification of new aircraft, according to CNBC.

82) While officials say food stamps will be paid through February, they also will have to pay February benefits early — by Jan. 20 — which is creating logistical and communications difficulties as they try to get $4.8 billion in payments out to people who need them but don’t know about the change, according to Politico.

81) Unemployment claims by furloughed federal workers skyrocketed more than 400% in the last week of December. Furloughed workers and many contractors are eligible for state unemployment, but those deemed essential and called back to work without pay are not.

80) US Fish and Wildlife brought some employees back from furlough to make some wildlife refuges accessible to hunters, drawing complaints the government is trying to mute effects of the shutdown.

79) Canadian air traffic controllers ordered hundreds of pizzas for their American counterparts working without pay.

78) A security checkpoint inside the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston closed on Sunday and remained closed Monday morning due to “staffing issues associated with the partial shutdown of the federal government.”

77) In addition to sanitation problems (see below), National Park officials said people had destroyed Joshua trees at Joshua Tree National Park. Some reports suggested this was apparently done by off-roaders to make room for their vehicles.

76) AT&T and other mobile providers are waiving late fees for the furloughed.

75) Some diversions for furloughed federal workers: George Mason University is giving free basketball tickets, a zoo in Oregon is offering free admission.

74) JP Morgan lowered its GDP estimate to 2 percent from 2.25 percent for the first quarter, primarily citing the shutdown, according to CNBC.

73) Bureau of Land Management found reserve funds to open an Alaska office to hold public meetings on an agency plan that would make Arctic land available for oil and gas leasing purchases.

72) Miami airport will close one concourse for days due to TSA agents calling in sick.

71) The DOJ is asking a judge to put on hold a lawsuit brought by three senators who are challenging the President’s appointment of Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.

70) Trump canceled his planned trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

69) Taxicab and ride-sharing drivers in Washington reported less-than-average ridership as a result of there being fewer federal employees and tourists in the city during the shutdown, according to the Washington City Paper.

68) “US mass transit systems have temporarily lost financial aid that supports a wide range of needs, from daily maintenance and service to ongoing repair and expansion projects,” according to a report from the credit ratings agency Moody’s.

67) People missing immigration court dates because of the shutdown are being given new dates years from now, according to The New York Times.

66) Federal court offices operating with fees and other reserve funds will run out of money Jan. 18, according to National Law Journal.

65) The federal agencies that aren’t funded are more susceptible to cyberattacks because cybersecurity is often augmented by contractors, experts told Roll Call.

64) Scientists had to cease their work for various federal research agencies, including NASA and the National Science Foundation, placing the results of delicate experiments in the balance.

63) The Pentagon isn’t affected, but defense contractors who do business with multiple agencies are. Executives for two contractors told Defense One the shutdown is costing them $10 million per week in payroll for workers who have been idled. And the government is tens of millions behind in payments.

62) Lila Johnson, a federal contract employee who works as a janitor, told CNN she can’t pay her bills.

61) Several Federal Trade Commission services have been paused, including its consumer identity theft reporting system.

60) Some states are more affected than others in terms of their concentration of federal workers.

59) The Federal Emergency Management Agency had stopped selling or renewing flood insurance, but quickly directed employees back to work after an outcry.

58) New research projects at US universities funded by agencies like the National Science Foundation could be delayed if the shutdown persists.

57) The US risks losing its AAA credit rating if the shutdown drags on, according to an executive with Fitch Ratings.

56) FBI agents will be working without pay as of Jan. 11. The FBI Agents Association says the shutdown will hamper recruiting efforts.

55) A lawsuit that claims Trump violated the emoluments clause with his Trump International Hotel in Washington has been placed on hold indefinitely, according to Politico.

54) Almost all civil cases in federal courts, including discrimination and whistleblower cases, have been delayed, according to The Washington Post.

53) The SEC has stopped reviewing and approving filings for initial public offerings, according to the Wall Street Journal.

52) Universities are claiming that the shutdown is affecting families’ ability to verify their income through the IRS, making it harder for them to secure federal student loans, The Washington Post reported. The IRS denies the claims, according to the Post.

51) Federal workers around the country took part in rallies against the shutdown.

A demonstrator holds a sign, signifying hundreds of thousands of federal employees who won't be receiving their paychecks as a result of the partial government shutdown, during a "Rally to End the Shutdown" in Washington.

A demonstrator holds a sign, signifying hundreds of thousands of federal employees who won’t be receiving their paychecks as a result of the partial government shutdown, during a “Rally to End the Shutdown” in Washington.

50) Julie Burr, a federal contract worker in Kansas City, Missouri, set up a GoFundMe account to help pay rent.

49) Banks and credit unions catering to federal workers offered assistance like no-interest payroll loans.

48) No new Freedom of Information Act requests at certain agencies.

47) USDA federal loans are on hold for people in rural areas, according to CNBC.

46) The $249 million in monthly mortgage payments that Zillow estimates unpaid federal workers make could be in jeopardy of not going to banks.

45) President Donald Trump gave advice to landlords of federal workers who can’t pay rent. “I would encourage them to be nice and easy,” he said.

44) National Transportation Safety Board investigations of fatal accidents have been put on hold.

43) Wildfire prep work and firefighter training have been halted as several thousand US Forest Service workers, and Smokey the Bear, are furloughed.

42) Not spending money actually costs the government money in interest, the ultimate back pay it will give without getting work in exchange, uncollected fees and more, according to The New York Times.

41) A pay raise for Vice President Mike Pence and Cabinet secretaries has been frozen.

40) More than 60 members of Congress are rejecting their pay during the shutdown, with some choosing to donate their paychecks.

Vice President Mike Pence and other White House staffers leave shutdown negotiations.

39) About 41,000 active-duty Coast Guardsmen who are working without pay and are unsure when they’ll see their next paychecks were told they should consider having garage sales.

38) The Federal Communications Commission has stopped most of its operations, including its Consumer Complaint Center.

37) DC businesses are giving federal employees discounts. There are free bagels from a bakery across from the closed National Zoo, and bottomless mimosas and bloody marys for $15 every day at a restaurant. Shutdown-themed drinks are being served at Capitol Hill bars.

36) The federal government missed paying its $5 million water bill to DC.

35) The office responsible for issuing marriage licenses in Washington, DC, was closed. The City Council passed an emergency bill to reopen it.

34) The Trump administration has promised that tax refunds will be mailed on time and has not yet delayed the tax filing day because it will call back workers from furlough.

irs tax refund

33) The IRS isn’t staffed to answer questions about changes from the new tax law.

32) Environmental Protection Agency pollution inspectors aren’t on the job, according to The New York Times.

31) Farmers who would normally be looking to a Jan. 11 monthly report on the supply and demand of agricultural products to help determine what to plant next season will have to wait if the US Department of Agriculture remains closed.

30) The owner of a small IT company in North Carolina can’t close on a Small Business Administration loan that’s already been approved for a new commercial property. He could lose the property along with the money he’s sunk into appraisals and fees, according to The Washington Post.

29) Employers can’t use the federal system, E-Verify, to confirm whether workers are in the US legally.

28) The backlog in immigration cases is growing as many immigration courts are closed.

27) Border Patrol agents are still working, but without pay. Some Border Patrol officers have sued the Trump administration over the missing pay.

26) The National Hurricane Center is getting off schedule for badly needed upgrades to the main American weather model.

This photo made available by NASA shows they eye of Hurricane Michael, as seen from the International Space Station on Tropical Weather Space Station - 10 Oct 2018.

This photo made available by NASA shows they eye of Hurricane Michael, as seen from the International Space Station on Tropical Weather Space Station – 10 Oct 2018.

25) At Yellowstone, some private companies that run tours have been performing some maintenance to keep facilities open, according to reports.

24) The National Park Service is using money for future projects to keep some parks open, drawing criticism that the funds are being misused.

23) Overflowing toilets and other safety concerns forced parts of Joshua Tree National Park in California to close.

A sign placed by a volunteer is taped to a restroom door at Joshua Tree National Park on January 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, California.