Can’t apply for new Medicare or Social Security benefits.
Can’t visit the Capitol, it will be closed to visitors.
Can’t get a new small business loan. Existing loans will be honored, new applications will not be accepted.
Can’t visit the Smithsonian or the National Zoo, and about 90 percent of the rest of the museums in the U.S. The animals will get fed, but no visitors, and if they eat a staffer they’ll have to go without.
Can’t camp in a national park, or visit a Civil War battlefield.
Can’t visit any of the DC monuments. National Parks Service is turning off fountains and blocking entrances as we speak.
Can’t check the legal work status of an employee, or close on a mortgage. The E-Verify system is a federal website, so it will be shut down.
Saddest of all: the IRS will suspend audit activities. I’ve been crying all day over that one…
So, the circus is in town. I suggest we all stock up on cans of peas and Cheetos, assemble in front of the various screens in the house and wait.
