Here's What You Can, Can't Do In DMV During Government Shutdown

The federal government shutdown will have a sizable effect on Maryland and Virginia residents, from workers who may be furloughed or have to work without pay to government services and sites such as zoos and museums.

Here is a look at some of the agencies and services that are and are not available to residents while the federal government is shuttered by the budget stalemate.

Weather Forecasts

The National Weather Service will continue to provide forecasts, as well as extreme weather watch and warning information. Many other operations will also continue uninterrupted, including urgent repairs to radar and other key equipment. However, the shutdown could delay routine maintenance, upgrades and long-term projects for less critical services, according to the agency.

National Parks

National Parks will remain mostly open during the shutdown. The National Park Service's contingency plan says park roads, lookouts, trails and open-air memorials will “generally remain accessible to visitors.”

But parks without "accessible areas" will be closed, and additional sites could shutter if damage is done to park resources or garbage builds up during the shutdown. "Park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors," the plan says.

About 100 of the 400 parks in the National Parks system collect fees. Those parks that have accessible areas will use available fees to provide "basic visitor services" to maintain "restrooms and sanitation, trash collection, road maintenance, campground operations, law enforcement and emergency operations, and staffing entrance gates as necessary to provide critical safety information."

The agency has a list of parks that do and don't charge fees on its website here.

Parks without accessible areas will not operate during the shutdown, the NPS plan says.

The park service oversees 400 sites, including large national parks such as Yellowstone and Grand Canyon, national battlefields and national monuments like the Statue of Liberty.

Cultural Attractions

Smithsonian Museums: All free Smithsonian museums, including the National Zoo, and research centers remain open through Oct. 11, the organization said in a statement released Friday. That includes the African American History and Culture Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and the Portrait Gallery in D.C.

If the government shutdown continues past Oct. 11, the Smithsonian will then close to the public.

The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum complex, with 17 museums and its zoo located in the Washington, D.C. area, as well as two museums in New York City.

Kennedy Center: Performances should continue as scheduled at the Kennedy Center in the event of a government shutdown, but other programs might not be accessible.

Library of Congress: The library will not be open during the shutdown.

National Zoo: Animals in the zoo will still be cared for and fed, according to the National Zoo. Live animal cameras will be turned off when the zoo closes.

President Lincoln's Cottage: The site will remain open throughout the government shutdown, despite being on federal property. Discounted tours are being offered to federal civil servants through the end of October.

Passports & Driver's Licenses

Passport applications are still being processed during the shutdown. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency responsible for overseeing the naturalization process, is primarily funded by application fees, meaning a lapse in funding at the federal government has minimal impacts on most passport and visa processing.

Since state budgets primarily fund motor vehicle departments, you can also still get a driver's license or REAL ID during a government shutdown.

Social Security Checks

Social Security benefits are mandatory under law and continue regardless of a shutdown. This means recipients can expect to continue receiving their payments.

Student Loans

The Department of Education will continue to disburse student aid such as Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student loans, and student loan borrowers will still be required to make payments on their outstanding student debt. The Department will also make Title I and IDEA grant funding available as usual.

Veterans Affairs

The Department of Veterans Affairs remains unaffected by the shutdown due to appropriations already awarded by Congress. Benefits checks will continue to be processed, and medical appointments at VA health centers won’t be interrupted.

Food Assistance Programs

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps or SNAP, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) will continue to provide benefits during the shutdown “subject to the availability of funding," according to the Department of Agriculture’s contingency plans posted Tuesday afternoon.

This means programs could be affected if the shutdown goes on for too long.

Whether WIC can continue under a prolonged shutdown varies depending on whether states can access other contingency funds, according to an NPR report. SNAP has a bit more leeway, but could also run out if the shutdown drags on.

Air Travel

Air traffic controllers will continue to work through the shutdown; however, they will not be paid.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement that the shutdown will "reduce the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System and erode the layers of safety that allow the flying public to arrive safely and on-time to their destinations.

"During a shutdown, critical safety support staff are furloughed, and support programs are suspended, making it difficult for air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals to perform at optimum levels."

Mail Delivery

Yes, the mail will be delivered and you can still visit your local post office. The U.S. Postal Service is unaffected by a government shutdown. It's an independent entity funded through the sale of its products and services, not by tax dollars.

The U.S. Postal Service confirmed in a Sept. 25 statement that it'll remain "open for business as usual."

Courts

Courthouses, federal, state and local, will remain open during the shutdown. But the Department of Justice, which prosecutes federal cases, said it may "postpone" some of its litigation and only try the most serious cases until funding is secured to pay for employees.

In a contingency plan released Monday, the DOJ said it would hold off on cases that don't involve the safety of human life or the protection of property.

Includes reporting from NBC News, NPR, WTOP, WBAL-TV, and The Baltimore Sun. The Associated Press contributed reporting.