U.S Partial Government Shutdown and its Effect on Vital Services and Research

Much has been said and heard about the partial shutdown of the U.S Government, the unrelenting disagreement stance of President Donald Trump and lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to block the prospect of ending the partial shutdown. The shutdown which started about a fortnight ago, is entering its third week and now the strains are been felt by federal workers who have now gone without a pay for that duration.

An analysis carried out revealed some of the work, research and funding that has stopped in agencies, departments and projects across the country as a result of this shutdown which includes:

• Transportation

The Department of Transportation has placed roughly 54,000 employees on leave, which constitutes about half the number of employees at their disposal, although essential functions of the department remain in operation as all staff at the Federal Highway Administration remain according to the agency’s shutdown plan.

Since the Federal grant money to states for airports and highways is separate from congressional appropriations, Air traffic operations are still coming in to work as well. But it is projected that in a week or two, when there aren’t workers to sign their paychecks, labor organizations may start organizing demonstrations as well.
Flight delays could also be experienced as the number of certified controllers is at a 30-year low, resulting in a worker shortage, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

• Farm and Small Business Loans

Farmers cannot apply for the payments the president promised in order to offset the effects tariffs had on agricultural exports because with the partial government shutdown, new farm loans, loans for rural development, or grants for low-income rural Americans are not being processed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and it is unclear whether the deadline, which is Jan. 15, will be extended. There might also be delay in the implementation of the new farm bill passed in December by the Congress

• Breweries Delayed Getting New Labels and Permits

Part of the Treasury Department, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, is not approving any labels or permits during the shutdown, stated by the Brewers' Association in a statement and it implies that any new beers planned for release are surely being delayed with a possible trickle-down effects for brewery employees, farmers and distributors, all of whom make money when new beers are released.

• E-Verify Checks Halted

The Department of Homeland Security is one of several federal agencies affected by the shutdown as employers can’t enroll in the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify website, edit account information, or create, view or take action on any cases while the website’s services is unavailable during the shutdown. The E-Verify program which compares government records to information collected on the Form 1-9, documents employees are required to fill out verifying their identity and employment status and allows employers to verify if a person is eligible to work legally in the United States.

Other vital effects of this partial shutdown includes:

• Environmental Protection Agency, EPA which might restrict employee travel and contract work during the shutdown.
• Ticking clock on research positions and delicate materials
• Immigration court hearings delay and prospect of huge backlogs

These are some of the vital effect of the partial shutdown and people can only ask questions like is the government open today? Is this the longest government shutdown ever?
Well, let’s hear from you in the comment section the effect of this partial shutdown to you.

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