LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Across the country, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are furloughed or working without pay because of this shutdown.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Some government offices are closed and facilities at national parks are not available.
FADEL: A longer shutdown will bring more pain, as we are hearing from NPR's Greg Allen. Good morning, Greg.
GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So what kind of government services are affected by this shutdown?
ALLEN: Well, a lot of the most vital government services, things like Social Security payments, also Medicare and Medicaid are supposed to be unaffected by the shutdown. However, staffing shortages are likely to lead to delays in some services as this drags on. In Boston, Jim's (ph) a federal employee who handles workers' comp claims. He didn't want to give his last name because he's not authorized to speak to the media. But like many other federal employees, he's still working and won't be paid until the shutdown's over.
JIM: I've been through it before, so I knew to set funds aside to, you know, be set up for this. So it's - I'm not surprised.
ALLEN: Air traffic controllers and active-duty military personnel are also working without pay until this is all over.
FADEL: Was there much of an impact yesterday, the first day of the shutdown?
ALLEN: Well, we had public radio reporters and producers out visiting government offices and national parks around the country. Many, but not all, national parks and monuments were open. But still lots of rangers and other staff were told to stay home. At Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado yesterday, Michelle Shoder (ph), who was visiting from Wisconsin, said she's worried about the impact of the park of too many tourists with too few staff.
MICHELLE SHODER: I feel really bad if it's a free-for-all because I think things could get out of hand really quickly, just people being disrespectful to public lands or, you know, national park, and I worry, especially the longer this goes on.
FADEL: OK. So that's what's happening with federal workers. What about government programs that will be most affected?
ALLEN: Well, among the things most at risk are federal food assistance programs. Those are SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and the program for Women, Infants and Children, WIC. There are staffing reductions and concerns that the programs could run out of money if the shutdown doesn't end soon. In Silver Spring, Maryland, yesterday, Carlos Hernandez (ph) came in to renew his benefits through SNAP, but the office was closed. He's 75, a U.S. citizen from El Salvador, and says the benefits help a lot.
CARLOS HERNANDEZ: (Non-English language spoken).
ALLEN: He says, "I'm retired, and what I get from the government is very little. It's not enough, and everything is so expensive." Mr. Hernandez said he's confused about why the government shut down and worries what it means for his benefits.
FADEL: And, Greg, you're in Florida, where people rely heavily on the government's federal flood insurance program. Are there any issues with that because of the shutdown?
ALLEN: Yes, definitely. The National Flood Insurance Program ensures more than 4 1/2 million homeowners nationwide. The largest number of them, some 40% are here in Florida. With the government shutdown, no new policies can be written, and something realtors are watching very closely, including Florida Association of Realtors president, Tim Weisheyer.
TIM WEISHEYER: In the short term, it doesn't have to mean anything. And I mean short term - literal short term - within the next day or two or three. But anything beyond that, there is a ripple effect that can create quite a bit of challenge for the marketplace.
ALLEN: For people looking to get a mortgage on a home in a flood risk zone, the freeze of the program means they can't get flood insurance now, and lenders require them to have flood insurance before going through the home purchase. So if the shutdown isn't resolved soon, real estate sales across the country will be put on hold or even canceled.
FADEL: NPR's Greg Allen in Miami. Thank you, Greg.
ALLEN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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