# How have you been affected by the US Gov't "shutdown"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 22, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228 "2018-01-22T17:40:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/1 "2018-01-22T17:40:13Z")
Seems like less of the gov’t has actually been “shutdown” this time around, than in the past. Wondering how any of you may have been directly affected by this exercise? I’m a federal careerist, but have been classified as “excepted.” So I am working as normal. At home today, in fact. Funny, but if you asked folk in our office which employee is the most essential, she is one of 3 out of 50 who have been furloughed! :smack: No real change other than inefficiencies caused by uncertainty. For example, on Friday, the 50 of us sat in on a 1/2 hr meeting - so there is 25 hrs of worktime pissed away. We have to keep our time on paper, which will later have to be inputted. And you have to jump through hoops to use leave. As I understand it, mail will be delivered today. My son says NASA officials at their installation have been furloughed. On the plus side, some waste-of-time “communications” training scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed! Yippee! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/2 "2018-01-22T18:21:01Z")
Not. Social Security checks just keep on a-rollin’; not that it would be any hardship if they stopped for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/3 "2018-01-22T18:21:47Z")
My federal contacts (the folks who do my job but at the federal level) are all working today because of some funding that came through to keep their agency open. So I haven’t had to cancel any meetings or calls. But this is how it has been in past shutdowns. Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/4 "2018-01-22T18:38:50Z")
There’s a dam on the Mississippi River just north of St. Louis that offers public tours. I wanted to take my kids there this weekend. I called first, and they told me the tours were not being offered during the shutdown. Yeah, very trivial, I know. But my kids were bored, and I wanted to get them out of the house, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/5 "2018-01-22T18:52:21Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Yeah, very trivial, I know. But my kids were bored, and I wanted to get them out of the house, dammit! Taken them fishing. I hear there are very large catfish under dams. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/6 "2018-01-22T18:57:02Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Taken them fishing. I hear there are very large catfish under dams. And no feds to stop you from taking them! 😛 This shutdown hasn’t affected me any. Previous ones did because my wife was working as an interpreter in the Federal courts as an outside contractor. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/7 "2018-01-22T19:09:21Z")
I work for HHS. We went in to shut down the office this morning, but up notices on our Web sites, leave our laptops and other gov’t equipment, and had to be out of the building by noon. No idea when we’ll be able to go back to work or, since I’m a contractor not a Fed, no idea when we’ll get a regular full paycheck. Everyone’s hoping this doesn’t last longer than a few days. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/8 "2018-01-23T01:00:02Z")
> [@Miss\_Mapp](#): > > I work for HHS. We went in to shut down the office this morning, but up notices on our Web sites, leave our laptops and other gov’t equipment, and had to be out of the building by noon. No idea when we’ll be able to go back to work or, since I’m a contractor not a Fed, no idea when we’ll get a regular full paycheck. Everyone’s hoping this doesn’t last longer than a few days. Glad for you that it didn’t. Another one may be around the corner, though. My tax refund has probably been held up a bit. Also, I’m wondering if many of the folks at the National Weather Service may have been off - our local forecast didn’t synch up at all. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/9 "2018-01-23T02:03:32Z")
It’s affected me a lot. I’m so sick of hearing about it, I can’t stand to listen to the news anymore. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/10 "2018-01-23T03:24:22Z")
same as above. I had to read far more about it than I wanted. I think I even saw countdown clocks on some of the talking heads shows. Far more attention paid to a little bit of DC theater than it deserved. And I for one was disappointed that it was resolved so quickly. A couple of weeks at least would have been nice. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/11 "2018-01-23T03:56:14Z")
NASA scientist here. It’s been pretty confusing. I went to work this morning as I was told. We were all were sent home (furloughed) a couple hours later. I believe I’m supposed to go back to work tomorrow. They say the paycheck for the previous 2 weeks would be paid on time, i.e. this Friday. I guess today will be counted as leave without pay, until & unless Congress later decides to pay us for the day. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/12 "2018-01-23T04:07:57Z")
Not at all personally. But I have some fears for friends in the military in harms way. Last time this happened some stuff on that end got a little tense. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/13 "2018-01-23T05:33:47Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Also, I’m wondering if many of the folks at the National Weather Service may have been off - our local forecast didn’t synch up at all. The National Weather Service continues forecasting as usual during shutdowns: > **[National Weather Service works without pay during government shutdown. What...](https://www.cleveland.com/weather/blog/2018/01/national_weather_service_meteo.html)** > > Meteorologists with the National Weather Service are considered essential personnel. During the federal government shut down, that means working without pay. > **[How A Government Shutdown Affects Your Weather Forecasts Today And In The Future](https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2018/01/20/how-a-government-shutdown-affects-your-weather-forecasts-today-and-in-the-future/#3b70f4931541)** > > The federal government shutdown. What does that mean for weather forecasts today and in the future? ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/14 "2018-01-23T07:02:52Z")
I have to endure a lot of bitching in my Facebook news feeds. Most of them blame Hillary. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/15 "2018-01-23T14:39:32Z")
I had to waste a day of PTO, so that sucked. That’s about all the effect it had on me. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/16 "2018-01-23T14:58:52Z")
DoD contractor. Had to come in for an hour yesterday but otherwise had a free day off. My company isn’t even going to charge us PTO for the day and will pay it as if it were a site closing, which is actually a fairly large departure from their usual extreme-penny-pinching behavior . ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/17 "2018-01-23T15:04:52Z")
I had to spend yesterday morning at the office, but by direction NOT WORKING, just waiting for the furlough letter to come, and then went home for the rest of the day. And now I’m back. We’ve been told we’ll be paid for a full day yesterday. Basically I got a free afternoon off, and a day’s work was pushed aside to the next day. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-have-you-been-affected-by-the-us-govt-shutdown/807228/18 "2018-01-23T15:43:02Z")
Being excepted I had to work yesterday, though I did have to leave an hour early for an appointment I had made last week. They were keeping people out of the building so we weren’t supposed to go outside as security wasn’t letting people back in. Total waste of the day.