For the first time in seven years, the federal government is shut down. That means federal offices, national parks and tourist attractions in Massachusetts are closed.
The government shutdown comes after Democrats and Republicans in Congress failed to reach a short-term government funding plan by the Oct. 1 deadline.
Popular tourist sites like the USS Constitution and Boston’s JFK Library and Museum are closed to the public. In Massachusetts, 30,000 federal workers are among those who are furloughed without pay.
“We will all be furloughed,” JFK Library Director Alan Price told GBH News. “Most employees are just clearing out their offices and making sure that out-of-office messages and the like are all set up.”
The Salem Maritime National Historic Park and Visitor Center are closed, too, and that includes their public restrooms. The closing coincides with the start of Haunted Happenings in the lead-up to Halloween.
The Cape Cod National Seashore, operated by the National Park Service, is also impacted by the shutdown. The Salt Pond Visitor Center is closed, but public restrooms are open and visitors can still access the parks beaches and trails
Local IRS offices are closed, but some government services that are deemed essential — such as postal offices and federal law enforcement entities — remain open.
Logan Airport remains open and operational, too, though previous shutdowns suggest that there could be staffing challenges and delays.
Local and national politicians are pointing fingers over the shutdown.
Before the midnight budget deadline, President Donald Trump said, “We don’t want it to shut down.”
“They’re in charge, and they’re driving us over a cliff,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey shot back on GBH’s Boston Public Radio Tuesday.
“Democrats are not shutting down the government,” she continued. “This is a failure by Donald Trump and Republican leadership. Remember: Republicans control the Senate and the House.”
Future budget talks to end the shutdown are in limbo with no clear end in sight.
“I’ve been through this before here and elsewhere, and it is an accepted and understood part of federal service that these things will happen from time to time,” said Price from the JFK Library and Museum.
“We have procedures in place to maintain stewardship of the building and the artifacts and to make sure that employees have all the information they need to return effectively as soon as possible,” he said.
