What Would Happen in Event of a Federal Government Shutdown?

Bay Area visitors will be denied entry to national parks and tax returns will be thrust into limbo if Congress fails to reach an appropriations agreement by midnight tonight.

The Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site in Danville would close in case of a shutdown. The Tao House on the propery was once home of America's only Nobel Prize-winning playwright.

Representatives of various government agencies said they were still hopeful today a shutdown could be avoided this weekend, but local politicians expressed concern as Bay Area offices prepared for the worst.

"Unfortunately we are in the midst of a political meltdown and it's going to affect all of us," Rep. John Garamendi, D-Walnut Creek, said today during a phone conference with constituents.

President Obama said during a speech Wednesday that a government shutdown this weekend would have "real effects on everyday Americans," including those waiting for tax rebates.

Hundreds of thousands of government workers would go without paychecks, and mortgages and other loans could be jeopardized, the president said.

Locally, Alcatraz Island, Fort Point and Muir Woods would be among the National Park Service facilities closed in the event of a shutdown, said spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet.

Gated parking lots and visitor centers would be closed and access to park areas denied, according to the Department of the Interior, which oversees the national parks.

Visitors using overnight campgrounds and other accommodations would be given 48 hours to make alternative arrangements.

The Park Service would retain just enough employees to protect life and property on public lands, meaning some law enforcement, emergency services and firefighting personnel would be retained, the interior department said.

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Those workers would count as "excepted" employees, or those who report to work without pay during a shutdown and are reimbursed retroactively, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Furloughed workers, however, are not paid and not permitted to work, and they only receive back pay if Congress specially approves it.

Although federal agencies do not have the authority to pay their employees during a shutdown, all workers continue to be covered under the Federal Employee Health Benefits program.

Military and essential law enforcement personnel fall into the excepted employee category.

FBI personnel in the field would continue to work, including in the San Francisco field office, a U.S. Department of Justice spokeswoman said. Drug trafficking and gun violence operations would continue as usual.

Federal prisons would remain open, and criminal litigation would continue as an "activity essential to the safety of human life and protection of property," DOJ spokeswoman Jessica Smith said.

The U.S. Marshals Service would also continue transporting detainees, providing security for judges and courts, and working in the field, she said.

A government shutdown would mostly affect civil litigation, community outreach to victims of crime, and processing of grants, she said.

Military personnel participating in operations "essential to safety, protection of human life, and protection of our national security," are also excepted from shutting down, according to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

They too would not be paid during the shutdown, but military retirees and annuitants are not paid from appropriated funds and would continue to receive benefits.

Inpatient and essential outpatient care in U.S. Department of Defense treatment facilities would also continue, including at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Judi Cheary said.

The hospital will remain open and the facility's clinics will function regardless of the budget negotiations, she added.

The U.S. Postal Service would not be affected by the shutdown because it is not funded with any tax dollars, San Francisco postal district spokesman James Wigdel said.

Stamps and service fees fund all of the post office's activities, he said, and the department will continue accepting passport applications even if the government shuts down.

A memo sent out to Social Security Administration employees warned them that only some employees should report to work on Monday and then, only to provide "limited agency activities to pay benefits."

SSA Commissioner Michael J. Astrue said in the email:

For example, we will take and process new claims, but we will not issue new or replacement Social Security cards.  ALJs will also report to work.  With the exception of small numbers of people required to maintain critical systems and other functions, Baltimore headquarters and regional offices will essentially be closed, as will the rest of the Office of Disability and Adjudication Review.  Your managers are being briefed now and shortly will share specific details of what work is covered and who will report to work on Monday if there is a Government shutdown.

Even higher ups in the agency were uncertain about what would happen in case of a prolonged shutdown.

"This situation is fluid," Astrue continued. "I cannot tell you if the shutdown will happen or how long a shutdown will last."

The personnel department at the agency created two websites to help answer questions about a shutdown: www.socialsecurity.gov/shutdown and www.opm.gov/furlough.

"Again, thank you for being the best employees in Government," Astrue wrote. "Please hang in there and keep your fingers crossed that we’ll all be able to report to work on Monday."

– Bay City News with some reporting by Jennifer Wadsworth, Elizabeth Shemaria and James Brice