Be nice to your TSA agent. 5 things to know about a government shutdown
South Carolinians hardly may notice the impact of a partial federal government shutdown — depending on how long it lasts — unless they are one of the 800,000 federal workers nationwide who will be furloughed or work without pay until a spending bill is passed.
A shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Saturday will not derail delivery of holiday cards or stop Social Security checks. It also will not stop NORAD’s Santa tracker. But it could close a national park or monument, possibly thwarting your family’s Christmas holiday excursion plans.
President Donald Trump says he will not sign a spending bill until Congress agrees to add $5 billion to help build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We’re totally prepared for a very long shutdown,” Trump told reporters Friday. Last week, the Republican president said he would assume the “mantle” of responsibility if parts of the government closed down.
Here are five things to know about a partial government shutdown:
1. Keep your flights. A shutdown will not ground your flights or affect staffing at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport. But it does mean about 53,000 workers with the Transportation Security Administration and air-traffic controllers will work without pay until a new spending bill is passed. Then, they are expected to get past-due pay.
2. Military duties continue. The latest shutdown only would affect 25 percent of government spending. The Defense Department, for instance, was funded under an Oct. 1 bill. That means military bases and the S.C. National Guard will continue to operate. That includes Fort Jackson in Columbia, Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter and McEntire Joint National Guard Base in Lower Richland.
3. Veterans services won’t stop. Services for the nation’s veterans will not stop under a partial shutdown, including at Columbia’s Dorn Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is fully funded under the government’s October spending bill. “All VA operations will continue unimpeded,” VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said in a statement.
4. National parks, monuments could close. Visitors still might be able to walk the Congaree National Park in Lower Richland, but some of the nation’s parks and monuments could close to the public through the holidays. During a partial shutdown, visitors services will not operate, including trash pickup and maintenance. The National Park Service’s social media accounts also will go dark, too.
5. Federal courthouses open. South Carolina’s courthouses already were slated to close Monday and Tuesday for the Christmas holiday. But, after that, courthouses are expected to open despite a shutdown because they are deemed an essential service.
This story was originally published December 21, 2018 at 5:58 PM.
