When the federal government shut down as a result of Congress’ failure to pass a budget by its Oct. 1 deadline, agencies around the country were forced to close their doors and furlough their employees until their funding was appropriated more than two weeks later. The Chronicle’s Azeb Yirga and Georgia Parke looked into the consequences of the shutdown in local agencies in Durham and the Triangle Area as the state and country responded to a government shutdown for the first time in 17 years.
Economic growth
“It’s not going to slow [economic progress], but it’s certainly not going to contribute to pushing forward,” said Ted Conner, vice president of economic development and community sustainability for the Durham Chamber of Commerce.
He emphasized the effects on workers going without pay for multiple weeks at the individual level. Almost 3,000 government employees in Durham were furloughed as a result of the shutdown.
“Not everybody carries a lot of savings,” Conner said. “On a human scale it’s a pretty big difference.”
Veterans affairs
Healthcare continued at all veterans' medical centers across the country. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that all health services for veterans had advance appropriations to keep them funded. Other programs, such as vocational rehabilitation and education, would have eventually run out of funding if the shutdown had continued.
“We’re still taking care of people and anything beyond,” said Jeff Milton, a public affairs officer at the Durham VA Medical Center. “It’s business as usual.”
Scientific research
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, based in Durham, closed and furloughed approximately 1,250 employees, said Christine Bruske Flowers, director of the office of communications and public liaison for the NIEHS.
"[All studies were suspended] except for those operations essential to ensuring safety, security and the protection of government property," she said.
Food inspection
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service did not furlough its inspectors, said Deputy Assistant Administrator Aaron Lavallee.
“Our inspectors are still on the job and have been since day one,” he said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration continued meat inspections but put a hiatus on many of its routine safety inspections, he added.
Lavallee noted that some FSIS employees doing work related to the health of the public were allowed to continue work, but many administrative offices were working at reduced capacity and, had the shutdown continued, most would have been furloughed altogether.
Health and human services
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Resources furloughed 337 employees during the shutdown. The agency announced on Oct. 8 that it would discontinue issuing benefits through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. The program was reinstated three days later, with funds guaranteed until the end of October using extra funds from the previous year.
Environmental protection
The EPA furloughed more than 2,000 of its employees at its air pollution research and regulation center in Research Triangle Park.
Domestic and sexual violence
The Durham Crisis Response Center, a public charity that provides services to victims of domestic and sexual violence, actively sought donations during the shutdown because of its reliance on federal funds, fearing that funds would run out if the shutdown dragged on.
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