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All across the U.S. today, the government shutdown has begun to have an impact. Hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been furloughed. Staff shortages are beginning to be felt everywhere, from federal offices to the national parks. As NPR's Greg Allen reports, as the shutdown drags on, it will affect many important federal programs.
GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: National parks were open today despite the shutdown, but because many rangers and other staff were told to stay home, some services were not available. At Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, Frank Windish (ph) was disappointed to find the park's visitor center closed.
FRANK WINDISH: We wanted to check in. We got a timed entry pass for tomorrow, but we still need to get the park entrance - pay for that fee, you know? And we thought we might get that done today, but it looks like we can't. So we're going to go on a hike somewhere else today, it looks like.
ALLEN: Many federal workers were on the job today in Washington and at some federal offices around the country where their jobs are considered essential. In Boston, Jim (ph) is a federal employee who helps handle workman's comp claims. He didn't want to give his last name because he's not authorized to speak to the media. He says, like the other federal employees working now, he won't be paid until the shutdown is over.
JIM: I've been through it before, so I knew to set funds aside to, you know, be set up for this. So it's - I'm not surprised.
ALLEN: Funding for some important federal programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid won't be affected, although staffing shortages may affect services. In Silver Spring, Maryland, today, Carlos Hernandez (ph) was disappointed when he came to renew his benefits through SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The office was closed. He's 75, a U.S. citizen from El Salvador and says the benefits help a lot.
CARLOS HERNANDEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
ALLEN: "I'm retired," he says, "and what I get from the government is very little. It's not enough, and everything is so expensive - rent, phone, electricity, food. Everything is super expensive." Hernandez says he doubted the office would be open, but got a letter telling him to come in.
HERNANDEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
ALLEN: "I think there's lots of confusion," he says. "I don't really understand what the government problems are."
If the shutdown doesn't end soon, federal food assistance programs may run out of money. Lucia Graves (ph) lives in New Hampshire and relies on the supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children - WIC - to help cover food costs for her two children. They're 3 and 4 years old.
LUCIA GRAVES: You know, these people and this program is - like, has my back, you know, as somebody that needs this help.
ALLEN: WIC, she says, covered the cost of baby formula when her kids were younger and now helps pay for her kids' fruit and vegetables. Graves worries that shutdown will have an almost immediate impact on her family and many others.
GRAVES: Appointments won't be able to be made. Funds won't be able to get allocated. You have to have a redetermination to get more benefits. Likely, we won't be able to meet that and there won't be funds for us, even if we did meet it.
ALLEN: A continued government shutdown is also a major concern for the real estate industry. As of today, the National Flood Insurance Program is frozen. Existing claims will be paid, but no new or revised policies can be issued until Congress reauthorizes the program. That would have the greatest impact in Florida, according to the National Flood Insurance Program. It says the state accounts for some 40% of the 4.6 million homes covered. Tim Weisheyer, the president of the Florida Association of Realtors, says it's already holding up sales.
TIM WEISHEYER: People that right now maybe were planning to close on their property tomorrow or next week, they will be delayed, and there's a risk that they're delayed. And that's not one transaction. There's a ripple effect across multiple transactions, and in truth, it can have a ripple effect across the country.
ALLEN: If the shutdown lasts just a few days, Weisheyer says it will be just a minor inconvenience. The National Association of Realtors says in 2010, when Congress allowed the Flood Insurance Program's authorization to lapse, some 1,400 home sales were canceled or delayed each day. He doesn't expect that to happen this time, as long as Congress acts soon to end the shutdown.
Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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