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Vacation canceled. Closed attractions. Christmas service postponed.
The consequences of a partial closure of the government extend far beyond Washington and the public servants who live there.
This Christmas, Security Security Administration officers and air traffic controllers work without pay during the busiest travel days of the year. They will probably be paid retroactively, but workers do not know when their pay check will be on their bank accounts.
Some law enforcement officers – such as the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and prison officers – were forced to cancel their tenure – planned Christmas holidays S & # They are classified as essential personnel, they are obliged to work during a government judgment or to be granted leave for an indefinite period.
"The problem is that it's already a very difficult job," Justin Tarovisky, a prison officer at Hazelton Penitentiary in West Virginia, told The New York Times. "But when you know you have to go to work and you will not get paid for it – or it will be late, whatever it is – it will really make you fall."
During A 2013 stoppage, National Meteorological Service employees were forced to work without knowing when they would be paid. To attract attention, Anchorage Office employees sent a coded message in a forecast: "Please, pay us."
This time, Americans shared their financial concerns related to the closure with the help of #ShutdownStories hashtag. On the eve of Christmas, at noon, the hashtag contained hundreds of messages written by people like the wife of a Great Smoky Mountains National Park ranger, who feared making mortgage payments while her husband was on leave.
In a number of cities, visitors from outside will not be able to see some important tourist attractions.
The National Parks Service buildings, including the Liberty Bell Center and the Independence Hall in Philadelphia, are closed. The George H.W. Bush presidential library and museum at College Station, Texas, are closed, although the Bush family remains open.
The lights were extinguished on the national Christmas tree that stands near the White House this weekend, as repairs could not be completed because a man damaged them in climbing to the tree before closing. A grant from the National Park Foundation turned on the lights on Christmas Eve.
Although national parks remain technically open during a closure, they are unmanned, which means that roads are not cleared of snow, toilets or garbage. In winter, in particular, some parks, including Rocky Mountain National Park, may become unsafe or impossible to access.
"This will fall on the degradation of the environment. It will be a garbage can; it will be human waste; Seth Zaharias, a tour guide in Joshua Tree National Park, told the Guardian: "We expect about 100,000 people in the park during the holiday season, so if 0.1% do stupid things, it could have an impact. important. "
Some states have activated the necessary funding to keep the places open and serviced, including the Grand Canyon and the Statue of Liberty.
The closure has had unintended effects, such as Mount Vernon, NY, where a Christmas organ concert was postponed because The St. Paul's Church is a National Historic Site managed by the National Parks Service
Even for those wishing to enjoy the parks from afar – through feed flow The popular sled dog puppy webcam in Denali National Park, Alaska was one of the many people banned from closing.
Elsewhere, residents had to cancel their plans going from to the St. Francis Street pier in San Fransisco to Eagle observation along the upper Skagit River in the United States. State of Washington [19659002] Holders of tickets for backstage or night tours with Alcatraz Cruises in California have been informed that they are being refunded due to the closure. The island with the former federal prison is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
Christmas was not completely canceled by the closure. NORAD, which oversees Santa every year, is still fully funded.
Avery Anapol contributed.
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