The long-term effects of the government shutdown

The federal government has shut down because the House of Representatives and Senate failed to reach an agreement on the spending budget. Obvious and immediate effects may not be noticeable in the first few days of the impasse because state and local governments provide a lot of services—school, highway, water, sanitation, among others.

According to Christian Gorse, a political science professor at the University of Southern California, the non-essential may become essential if the shutdown goes beyond a few days. Attaining passports and visa will come to a halt. National parks and monuments will close. 

The shutdown will affect about 800,000 federal government employees. One of those is Jan Zarri, who works for the federal court system in Los Angeles. Last time the government shutdown, in 1995, Zarri was in elementary school. Seventeen years later the government shutdown brings him ambiguity and anxiety. The court will use its contingency funds—emergency funds that will keep the courts open and employees at work for ten business days. But if the shutdown lasts longer than that, the number of days that Zarri will be out of work is unknown.