The anticipated US government shutdown took effect at midnight, local time, after senators failed to pass a spending bill to keep funding government agencies.
The effects of the US government shutdown are being felt across America as the White House warns federal workers will be fired en masse if Democrats don’t back down.
While the shutdown only applies to government services deemed non-essential, many of the most visible early impacts of the shutdown have been on popular tourist sites.
National attractions like the Library of Congress, US Botanic Garden and Liberty Bell have closed, and Washington’s Smithsonian museums are set to shut in the next few days. National parks are “generally” being kept open, but almost 10,000 park workers are furloughed so many visitor services have stopped.
Despite this, some states have made it clear that their attractions will remain open and accessible to tourists.
The Utah Office of Tourism and Film managing director Natalie Randall said: “Our priority has been and continues to be preserving our parks, maintaining the visitor experience, and ensuring Utah communities and businesses that rely on national park visitation are supported.”
Utah’s Mighty 5 national parks — Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion — will remain open and accessible during the shutdown, however visitors should expect reduced services and staffing. “We are engaged in proactive conversations with public and private partners at all levels, offering strategic support to ensure the parks remain open with necessary resources,” said Randall.
The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority has also encouraged people not to cancel their trips to the state.
“All state and county parks, beaches, and private businesses, including hotels, activities, attractions, tours, shops, and restaurants, will remain open,” said a press release. However some national parks and wildlife refuges in Hawai‘i will be closed or have limited access.
The release also claims that flights to the Hawaiian Islands and within the state should remain largely unaffected, but that travellers may experience longer wait times.
“Travellers should check with their airline for the status of their flight before heading to the airport. They should also plan to arrive early to the airport to give themselves extra time to pass through TSA security as a precautionary measure.”
Other government activities that have been suspended:
- accepting new patients at the NIH Clinical Centre, America’s largest health research hospital
- inspecting food and pharmaceutical production facilities
- progressing or issuing new defence contracts
- public health communications from the Centers for Disease Control
- research and analysis of economic data
So far, services such as healthcare, law enforcement, border control, public education and postal deliveries are relatively unaffected.
Members of the military will remain at their posts, and National Guard troops deployed to several cities for a “crime crackdown” have also been told to keep working.
