By Deb Murphy
Today marks the 19th day of the federal shutdown.
Bishop’s office building housing the Inyo National Forest and Bureau of Land Management staffs has a note on its locked door, idle vehicles sit in the parking lot.
Visitors can tool around Manzanar but can’t get in the building to view the exhibits.
Death Valley campsites are closed but the resorts, not federal facilities, are open and doing well, according to a report by park head Mike Reynolds, via Supervisor Matt Kingsley at Tuesday’s Board meeting.
Four restrooms are functioning and the visitors’ center is open and staffed by the Death Valley Historical Society.
It would be appropriate to talk about the number of local residents going without their paychecks, but by the time this thing actually hit, it was too late to get that data. E-mails get a canned “we’re closed” reply.
On top of the impact of locals going without their paychecks—services provided through the U.S. Department of Agriculture are at risk.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or food stamps, Food Distribution Programs on Native American reservations and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) could be impacted if the shutdown drags on.
Marilyn Mann, Inyo’s Health and Human Services director, thinks the state may be able to continue funding these programs. “The state is committed to food security,” she said. She and other staff members will be attending meetings with state social services later this week, hopefully to get more clarity on potential funding for these programs.
According to CBS News, SNAP is automatically renewed but has not been financed past this month. Three billion dollars have been appropriated as emergency funding but that won’t cover all of the program’s obligations through February.
WIC and other supplemental food programs targeting specific populations have no funding. According to the USDA, those programs could continue at the local level “with any funding and commodity resources that remain available.”
Staffing at the federal level has been cut by 95-percent.
Tinner,,first off,not watching too much CNN,more so watching the habitual stupid lies trump he himself says on a daily basis,something his worshipers seem stupid enough to still believe.President Obama never would’ve first lied about building a vanity wall or lied about saying Mexico would pay for it to please his… Read more »
Too easy.
Clearly the never trumpers here watch too much cnn. If this wall was being built under the Obama admin. there wouldn’t be a democrat against it, David Dennison aka Low Inyo would be offering to shine Obama’s shoes for his photo op upon its completion. If the wall was being… Read more »
Agree with Tinner.
Can’t blame you for bagging on CNN, Tinner. They tend to draw attention to our President’s frequent lies and misleading claims. You’re probably better off sticking with trusty Faux News, they’ll gloss right over those parts you’d rather not hear.
Charles O……When I go to Faux News for my daily laughs,notice the way hannity talks to,looks at and interviews trump…..when I had a wife or girlfriend I was crazy about,I can only wish they had looked into my eyes that way !!….and so true about CNN…trump and trump worshipers cry… Read more »
I guess we’ll never know if Democrats would’ve supported it if Obama had proposed the wall because by strange coincidence he never did…weird.
Not correct. Democrats have supported building walls along the border, WHERE PRACTICAL AND COST EFFECTIVE. Trumps plan is not cost effective or even effective as a border crossing deterrent. What we want is efficient use of our taxpayer money. Trumps proposal is based on a campaign promise and not based… Read more »
sugermags……true stuff you say there…trumps “wall” (that Mexico was going to pay for ) nothing more than ANOTHER lie told to his worshipers during his campaign…not a solution to illegal immigration.And the mention of the rich actually wanting them here,I personally know trump worshipers that chant about “coming here legally”,but… Read more »
Government by tantrum does not work. We elect these people to discuss and debate issues and to come up with reasonable solutions to our country’s problems. Illegal immigration is an issue that deserves debate and analysis. Spending billions to fatten the pockets of govt. contractors while not addressing the problem… Read more »
Phillip..should any of us be surprised at something like this happening ?…not me…I knew back in late 2016 this clown and his habitual lies and campaign promises we ALL knew he wouldn’t really be able keep to his worshipers would somehow and eventually turn this Country upside-down,,and it did…now,no longer… Read more »
Holding 800,000 folks and their households hostage to a campaign promise is criminal . I think it’s called extortion of the nation. With holding Federal Employee Services from our nation is irresponsible. The shutdown must end immediately and then Border Security and Comprehensive Immigration Policy can be debated and resolved… Read more »
Mono Person…..But you’ll soon see people unable to pay for their mortgages, rent ,food and other things being paid for working a job provides.But I guess the answer to that is standing up.saying “bye,bye” and storming out of the room….not everyone has a rich Daddy to rely on…
It’s called payday advance google check into cash
Super Lame,
You’re suggesting ~400% APR loans?
Pedro,I’m sure “Super Dave” is just being “Super Lame”,but not really too much different than what some of the trump worshipers are saying and suggesting…some of them including trump himself,stating most,if not all of the unpaid Government workers are behind trump with the shutdown and don’t mind working for nothing… Read more »
And Super Drunk
As the fattest society on earth, I don’t see anyone starving…
So is that what it takes, someone starving for you to give a hoot? Or is that what “Mono person” actually means, you don’t care about anyone but yourself? I mistakenly assumed it was a geographical reference. Somehow I think your comments would be entirely different if you were directly… Read more »
No I am not a tax eater, and I knew you people would get your panties in a bunch, with that statement. Truth hurts. And show me one starving person in America….
I don’t see anyone claiming to be starving???? Not sure what mean by “you people” either? If you’re referring to federal workers – I’m self employed and I’m fortunate enough to not need the services discussed in this article. Or maybe by “you people” you mean those you don’t see… Read more »
“You people” should be avoided as it’s a pretty wide brush and rarely gets a good response. Most people side with a continued paycheck regardless of how it affects anyone else in the long run. Might it be a perfect Country if we were all tax eaters?
“What do you mean, you people?”
Just kidding, I couldn’t help it.