The government is hours away from its first shutdown since 1996. Here’s why it would be awful:\n<\/p>\n
1. HUGE NUMBER OF FURLOUGHS: As many as 800,000 of the country’s 2.1 million federal workers could be furloughed as the result of a shutdown.\n<\/p>\n
2. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ON HOLD: The head of the Environmental Protection Agency says that the regulator would “effectively shut down” without a deal to fund the government. The EPA wouldn’t be able to pay its employees and most of its regulatory functions would be put on hold until a deal is reached.\n<\/p>\n
3. DISEASE MONITORING: In the event of a shutdown, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would have to halt a critical seasonal influenza program that monitors the spread of the flu.\n<\/p>\n
4. NUTRITION SUPPORT SLASHED: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, a program to provide healthy food for low-income pregnant women and new moms, would have its federal funding cut in the face of a shutdown.\n<\/p>\n
5. MAKING THE BUDGET DEFICIT WORSE: Despite the Republican party’s insistence on fiscal responsibility, a government shutdown would “likely add to the budget deficit,” according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch economist Ethan Harris.\n<\/p>\n
6. FOOD SAFETY: Most routine FDA food safety inspections would be suspended in the case of a shutdown.\n<\/p>\n
7. NO BACK PAY: Employees of one US attorney have been warned that there is a “real possibility” they may not receive back pay if the government shuts down.\n<\/p>\n
8. WORKPLACE SAFETY: Most Labor Department investigations into workplace safety and discrimination would cease if a deal is not reached to avert a shutdown.\n<\/p>\n
9. NATIONAL PARKS, MUSEUMS (AND PANDAS!): The country’s national parks would be forced to close without a government funding deal, as would Smithsonian Museums, disappointing countless potential visitors. But humans wouldn’t be the only victims of a shutdown. The National Zoo would close and turn off its panda cams, which means no more livestreaming of adorable pandas.\n<\/p>\n
10. STOCK MARKET PANIC: The stock market reacted negatively on Monday amidst worries about a shutdown and an upcoming fight to raise the country’s debt ceiling. The lack of a resolution could mean more market madness to come.\n<\/p>\n
11. DOJ DISRUPTION: Attorney General Eric Holder on Monday warned that a shutdown would have a “disruptive impact” on operations at the Justice Department. He pointed fingers at the House of Representatives and stated that there are “good, hard-working Americans who are going to suffer because of this dysfunction.”\n<\/p>\n
AGB\/AGB<\/p>\n