Shutdown impact: Tourists, homebuyers hit quickly

WASHINGTON (AP):A government shutdown is having far-reaching consequences for some, but minimal impact on others. Mail is being delivered. Social Security and Medicare benefits continue to flow.

But vacationers are being turned away from national parks and Smithsonian museums, and that's having a ripple effect on those businesses and communities that rely on tourism. Borrowers applying for a mortgage can expect delays, particularly many low-to-moderate income borrowers and first-time homebuyers.

A look at how some services have been affected, and sometimes not, by Congress failing to reach an agreement averting a partial government shutdown.

AIR TRAVEL

Federal air traffic controllers remain on the job and airport screeners continue to funnel passengers through security checkpoints. But safety inspections of planes, pilots and aircraft repair stations by government workers have ceased because federal inspectors have been furloughed.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

The State Department continues processing foreign applications for visas and United States (US) applications for passports, since fees are collected to finance those services. Embassies and consulates overseas remain open and are providing services for US citizens abroad. According to numbers supplied to Congress, out of roughly 70,000 State Department employees, 343 have been furloughed, with more than half of the furloughed employees coming from the Office of Inspector General. The department has curtailed travel, participation in public events and its presence on social media is diminished.

BENEFIT PAYMENTS

Social Security and Medicare benefits continue to be paid out, but there could be delays in processing new disability applications. Unemployment benefits are also still going out. The state of Arizona opted to stop welfare benefits averaging $207 a week to about 5,200 families, despite assurances from the federal officials that the state would be reimbursed.

FEDERAL COURTS

Federal courts continue to operate normally and will do so until mid-October. If the shutdown continues, the judiciary would have to begin furloughs of employees whose work is not considered essential. But cases would continue to be heard.

RECREATION

All national parks are closed. Grand National Canyon National Park was shut down for only the second time since it was created in 1919.

HEALTH

New patients are not being accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but current patients continue to receive care. Medical research at the NIH has been disrupted as some studies have been delayed.

FOOD SAFETY

The Food and Drug Administration and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention say they could handle recalls and high-risk foodborne outbreaks, but they are less likely to discover them because most of the people who investigate outbreaks have been furloughed.

EDUCATION

The Education Department has said that a shutdown beyond a week would "severely" curtail the cash flow to school districts, colleges and universities and vocational rehabilitation agencies that depend on department funds.

HOMELAND SECURITY

The majority of the Department of Homeland Security's employees have stayed on the job, including uniformed agents and officers at the country's borders and ports of entry, members of the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration officers, Secret Service personnel and other law enforcement agents and officers. US Citizenship and Immigration Services employees continue to process green card applications. However, the four Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, run by DHS, have shuttered training operations for federal agents.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

The FBI estimates that in all, about 80 per cent of its employees are working around the country. The FBI has about 34,000 employees. All FBI field offices around the country and the legal attache offices around the world are staffed and are prepared to meet any immediate threats and are protecting life and property.

MILITARY

The military's 1.4 million active duty personnel remain on duty. About half of the Defence Department's civilian employees were furloughed, but Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered nearly all 350,000 back on the job. The shutdown created a ripple effect with some defence contractors. Lockheed Martin said Monday that it was furloughing about 2,400 workers.

PRISONS

All 116 federal prisons remain open and criminal litigation proceeds.