Local Effects of the Federal Government Closure
A call in to the Council District Ranger Office on Monday went to a voice message stating that the office is closed due to lack of funding from the federal government.
The website for the Payette National Forest (www.fs.usda.gov/r04/payette) now (as of Tuesday) has a banner across the top that states “The Radical Left Democrats shut down the government. This government website will be updated periodically during the funding lapse for mission critical functions. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people.”
On a separate page for planning visits to the forest, another banner states “National forest recreation sites remain open during the Federal government lapse in funding. However, some services may be limited or unavailable. Of note, annual seasonal closures at specific locations can be expected due to the change in weather. Log in to your Recreation.gov account to manage existing reservations.”
The Social Security Administration says that payments will continue during the shutdown. The US Postal Service will also continue to deliver the mail.
Some workers across the government are deemed ‘essential’ (TSA, air traffic controllers etc.) and will be working as usual but they may go without a paycheck if the shutdown continues.
We plan on having more information on the local effects of this shutdown in next week’s issue.
