Some federal employees have to work despite the closure, while others have been told not to report to work. On Morning Edition, we hear some voices of folks who have already felt the impact of the shutdown. They say they feel "frustrated," and think the partial shutdown is "ridiculous."
And, many states are scrambling to figure out a way to keep the doors open at the clinics that administer food assistance to 9 million women, infants and children. They are enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and children, known as WIC. As the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which funds the program, explained Friday in a memo, the 10,000 WIC clinics across the country will have enough funds to operate for a week or so. And after that, the states most in need may be able to get something from the federal pot of $125 million in contingency funding. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.
In Missouri, the main reason for living in Knob Noster, is to work at Whiteman Air Force Base. That's where B-2 Stealth bombers are based, and nuclear weapons are stored. With parts of the federal government closed, some 600 workers at the base are temporarily out of a job. Frank Morris of member station KCUR reports the base is short handed because of the government shutdown.
Across the country, the federal government's partial shutdown means National Parks are closed for business. How are visitors, nearby businesses and park rangers dealing with the shutdown at Mt. Rainier and Crater Lake National Parks? Tom Banse of the Northwest News Network reports visitors are being turned away.
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