Gov’t Shutdown Means No Smithsonian, Refund Checks

Wednesday, 06 April 2011 | by Pat's Picks

The possibility of the first government shutdown in 15 years looks more and more likely every day politicians in Washington fail to find a middle ground in their ongoing budget talks. But what does that mean? It means a shuttered Smithsonian, says the New York Times.  It also means the IRS could stop issuing refund checks, government-issued BlackBerrys would go silent and no picnics at national parks.

Not all government services stop in a shutdown—military operations continue uninterrupted; air and traffic control are exempt from the furlough. Federal prisons, law enforcement and criminal investigations will be unaffected as will the work of essential government employees, a designation that in “ego-driven Washington” has caused some high-powered workers to confront their self-worth. As Washington prepares for the possibility of a shutdown, they are realizing it may look a lot different than the last ones in 1995 and 1996. For one, there was no Dept. of Homeland Security back then. Or the Internet.

The Times has a good list of what will close and what will remain open if the shutdown does happen.