The House and Senate could not come to a resolution over funding for the Affordable Care Act before Oct. 1. That means a government shutdown resulting in furloughed civilian government employees and some really peeved World War II vets.

Dozens of veterans and a few Republican members of Congress broke past gates barring the Washington D.C. WWII memorial Tuesday morning in spite of shutdown stipulations calling for the closing of hundreds of national parks and monuments.

The first day of the shutdown was also the first day marking a month of so called “honor flights” carrying veterans from various states to the memorial.

Former Oak Park President Jim McClure and Oak Park resident Joe Massura are scheduled to visit the memorial on an honor flight leaving Chicago tomorrow.

Immediately impacted:

  • National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) not available to answer media requests about the Forest Park Blue Line CTA collision; not updating website as of Oct. 1.
  • All national parks closed.
  • No new patients accepted into clinical research at the National Institute of Health (NIH). Current patients will still receive care.
  • Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has suspended routine inspections, but federal meat inspections will continue.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has temporarily ceased disease surveillance efforts.
  • Visa and passport offices closed.
  • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) suspended all audits. IRS taxpayer services, including toll-free help lines, shut down.
  • Federal occupational safety and health (OSHA) inspectors stopped workplace inspections except in cases of imminent danger.
  • Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will not underwrite or approve any new loans.
  • About 20 of 1,600 Head Start programs could face funding reductions. Grants expiring Oct. 1 will not be renewed.

Still operating:

  • Postal service
  • Amtrak
  • Active duty personnel
  • Social security and Medicare payments
  • Department of Veterans Affairs services
  • NASA workers at Mission Control
  • Federal courts (if shutdown continues longer than 10 days, employee furloughs may occur)
  • Federal air traffic controllers, federal inspectors and TSA airport screeners remain on the job at airports

In the case of an extended shutdown (longer than 10 days or so) many of the federal organizations who are not yet effected, could be.

Join the discussion on social media!