Millions of Americans yesterday braced for a government shutdown that could impact their lives starting this weekend, unless Republicans and Democrats reach a budget deal.
In many cities, including the US capital, residents would not be able to register vehicles or renew driver’s licenses because motor vehicle departments around the country will shut down when the federal government does.
That could happen at midnight yesterday, after which building permits will not be issued because the department of public works will be closed and public libraries would remain shuttered, making it -impossible to check out books.
Garbage would not be collected and streets would not be swept in Washington during a shutdown, Washington Mayor Vincent Gray told a news conference.
Tom Tarantino, of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, said on the military.com Web site that a shutdown would halt military burials because the department in charge of internments at the Veterans Affairs Administration would be forced to close.
Americans who decide to head overseas to avoid all the headaches had better already have a passport, because processing of travel documents will stop if the government closes.
During the last shutdown, in the 1990s, 200,000 passport applications were not processed, according to the Omaha World-Herald newspaper.
The tentacles of the shutdown would even reach overseas, affecting visa services for foreigners seeking to visit the US, the US Department of State said.
Events scheduled this weekend in South Carolina to mark the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War could be called off if lawmakers in Washington fail to agree on how much to rein in spending.
Commemorative events are due to be held at Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861.
However, that national monument is run by the National Park Service, and “in the unfortunate event of a shutdown, the national park system will be closed,” parks spokesman David Barna said in a statement.
Government grinding to a halt in Washington would be disastrous for businesses 3,200km away in Estes Park, Colorado, a gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park.
“Tourism is our only industry. We rely heavily on visitation to the national park to bring people here,” said Suzy Blackhurst, communications manager at the Estes Park Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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