Things That Could Happen if Government Shuts Down

Unfortunately, two of them involve, er, waste
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 5, 2011 1:10 PM CDT
Government Shutdown: 10 Things That Could Happen as a Result
US President Barack Obama's budget is unpacked by aides of the Senate Buget Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, February 14, 2011.   (Getty Images)

As a government shutdown looms once again, Miller-McCune notes 10 things that could happen if Congress doesn't agree on a budget by Friday:

  1. Toxic waste could pile up: During the last shutdown, cleanup was halted at 609 Superfund sites.
  2. Disease hotlines could go unanswered: They did last time, when the National Institutes of Health stopped answering calls.
  3. Child support could get held up: The last shutdown caused delinquent child support cases to be delayed (bankruptcy cases, too).

  1. No trips to Smithsonian museums: Or other parks and federal tourist destinations like the Statue of Liberty.
  2. Clinical trials could be delayed: And so could decisions on the regulation of new drugs and devices.
  3. One word: manure: Last time, a mound of manure sat in a parking lot since the National Zoo couldn't transport it for composting.
What won't be affected: It's not entirely clear, but there are some operations that will definitely keep running, including air traffic control, the TSA, the US Mint, and the Postal Service. Click for the complete list, or check out some other possibilities. (More government shutdown stories.)

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