The partial federal government shutdown is affecting some services in DeKalb County.
The USDA Service Center on Bright Hill Road, home to the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, is closed today (Tuesday).
A notice of the closing is posted on the front door of the building which states as follows:”This U.S. Department of Agriculture office is currently closed, due to the lapse in federal government funding. The office will reopen once Congress restores funding”.
The notice further states that Anita Houk and Soil Conservation District activities are at the courthouse. You may call 464-5760.
Meanwhile, the Nashville District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of conducting an orderly shutdown because of a lack of appropriations. The district will reduce its manpower over time to essential personnel only. These essential personnel will continue to support critical Corps of Engineers missions such as dam safety, hydropower, and operation of the navigation locks on both the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers.
The Corps is funded through multiple-year funding, which is enabling the Nashville District to conduct limited operations and construction through the course of the government shutdown. As the lapse in appropriations continues, the Corps will have more employees furloughed over time, but will maintain its mission essential personnel to ensure the operation and protection of corps facilities and property.
Nashville District recreation areas and campgrounds will remain open, as originally scheduled, using available Fiscal Year 2013 carryover funding. Existing campground and shelter reservations will be honored. The Recreation.gov website at www.recreation.gov is shutdown and the public can no longer use it to make any new reservations, and Call Agents at the Recreation Reservation Service call center (1-877-444-6777) will NOT make any new reservations until Federal funding has been restored. Nashville District’s remaining open campgrounds will continue to make new reservations for onsite registered campers on a first-come, first-serve. Walk-in campers are still welcome, but customers are asked to please contact the campground to check site availability. Camping information for Nashville District is available at http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Camping.aspx.
The public will be informed as additional Nashville District operations and services are affected due to the federal government shutdown.
The U.S. government partially shut down for the first time in 17 years today (Tuesday) as a standoff between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans over healthcare reforms. Many government offices, museums, national parks, and other federally funded operations are now closed.
Federal agencies have been directed to cut back services and up to 1 million workers nationwide have been put on unpaid leave.
Republicans in the House of Representatives had tried to tie renewal of government funding to measures undermining President Obama’s signature health care law, while the Democratic-controlled Senate repeatedly rejected those efforts.
Here’s a look at what stays open and what closes under the shutdown.
WHAT STAYS OPEN:
* U.S. Postal Service.
* Social Security.
* Medicare.
* Active-duty military will keep working, but will not get paid until the funds are available.
* Air-traffic control.
* Immigration.
* Border security.
* Emergency and disaster assistance.
* Federal law enforcement.
* IRS can still process electronic returns and payments only.
WHAT CLOSES:
* Any federal agency that’s subject to appropriations. Each agency has the discretion to decide who is “excepted” or “emergency”, and who is furloughed.
* All National Parks.
* All federally-funded museums, including Smithsonian and the National Zoo.
* All federal government websites.
* Research by Health and Human Services stops. So does the grant process. Depending on how long it lasts, that will also impact medical research at hospitals and universities.
* Applying for Social Security. If you’re a new retiree, your application won’t be processed.
* IRS walk-in centers. Your paper tax return will not be processed.
* Loan applications for small businesses, college tuition, or mortgages.
* All Library of Congress buildings. All public events will be cancelled and web sites will be inaccessible.
* Federal contractors will be out of work.
* Federal workers (except “excepted” or “emergency” personnel) will not be allowed to work, not even from home. No blackberry, no smartphone, no laptop. Not even allowed to check work email.
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