Government shutdown: Independence Hall closed; White House says federal layoffs 'imminent'; impacts in Philly and across the region

As the clock struck 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, the federal government officially shut down, with legislators unable to reach a compromise to keep funding flowing. By first light, impacts from the impasse began to arrive in Philadelphia, bringing the closure of some of the city’s most prominent attractions, and uncertainty for the thousands of federal workers in the region.

Independence Hall, where the country was birthed just shy of 250 years ago, was shuttered, and staffers at the Independence National Historical Park information desk were told to wrap up their shifts and head home. The Liberty Bell, which also falls under the National Park Service’s purview, was likewise closed off to visitors, the perpetual silence it has endured since 1846 amplified amid the shutdown’s imposed solitude.

“What a shame we couldn’t get up close and see it,” said history buff Gloria Isaza, 60, who was visiting the city from her native Colombia. “It’s sad.”

Tourist after tourist, hopeful to get a taste of history on Wednesday, was met with disappointment as they learned of a side effect of the government shutdown.

The birthplace of American democracy was closed.

Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, along with the Liberty Bell across the street, falls under the purview of the National Park Service, which is affected by the stalemate in Washington.

Gov. Josh Shapiro said Wednesday afternoon that it was unclear what would happen to Pennsylvania residents who get paid by the federal government after the shutdown. The state employs 80,000 people, 10,000 of whom are partially or fully funded by the federal government, Shapiro said while discussing vaccine policy at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Wednesday.

He added that he was awaiting guidance from the federal Office of Management and Budget to determine “the direct effect [of the federal shutdown] we’re going to have here in the Commonwealth.”

Shapiro said it would “present a challenge for us … to determine whether … we could use state funds in order to cover their salaries.”

The EPA says that almost 90% of its employees are to be furloughed as a result of the government shutdown.

In a “contingency plan” posted on its site, the agency said it would continue performing some essential duties, “including emergency and disaster assistance” activities. Also, some employees would stay around for a few days to complete “shutdown activities.”

However, it said, of the agency’s 15,166 employees, only 1,734 would avoid furlough.

The government shutdown is unlikely to have an immediate impact on government services provided by Philly’s suburban counties, which are already managing a loss of funding from the state government amid a budget impasse.

Josh Maxwell, a Democrat who chairs the Chester County Board of Commissioners, said the county had prepared for the possibility of a shutdown and the biggest impact to the county and its residents would be the inability to reach federal agencies.

In the short term, Delaware County spokesperson Mike Connolly said, impacts to the county would be small but serious consequences would become more likely as the shutdown drags on.

On a call with constituents Tuesday night, just hours before Congress missed its deadline to fund the government, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D., N.J.) gave an emotional, 20-minute explanation for why he sees the shutdown as a pivotal moment for Democrats to fight back against President Donald Trump.

“Look, this is going to be a challenge going forward, but it's a lot that’s at stake,” Kim said. “I think it's worth fighting for people's healthcare. I think it's worth fighting for people to have affordability in their lives and to fight against the lawlessness that's out there.”

Democrats are banking on their base — and some people in the middle — taking their side in the government shutdown, even as the party mounts its challenge with little leverage and as Trump threatens layoffs that could make an already painful situation worse.

A majority of employees at the Veterans’ Benefits Administration and the VA Medical Center in Philadelphia are still required to work, but it’s unclear if or when they will stop receiving a paycheck during the shutdown.

“Just imagine every day you're going to work and not know when you're going to get paid,” said Karen Ford-Woods, president of AFGE Local 1793, which represents employees at the medical center.

Fewer than 100 employees, all of whom are quality review specialists, were furloughed, according to a Philadelphia VBA union leader, who asked to speak anonymously out of fear of workplace retaliation. These specialists give the final approval before a veteran’s case gets processed or paid. That work will still get completed during the shutdown, the union leader said.

President Donald Trump's administration is preparing to permanently lay off an unspecified number of federal workers due to the government shutdown, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

"We believe that layoffs are imminent," Leavitt said. "They are unfortunately a consequence of this government shutdown."

So far, the Trump administration has not outlined any specific agencies that would be impacted by layoffs or offered a number of workers expected to be impacted.

The government shutdown could cause a flood of trouble for the real estate market in some of the nation’s floodplains, affecting as many as 1,400 home purchases daily, according to the National Association of Realtors.

While the federal National Flood Insurance Program will continue to make payouts, new policies will not be available.

For a structure in a “Special Flood Hazard Area” — areas with a 1% chance of experiencing a 100-year flood — flood insurance is required for obtaining a mortgage from a federally insured lender.

Philip Glover, national vice president of AFGE District 3, which represents federal workers in the Philadelphia area, was working to set up services for federal workers on Wednesday morning.

In past shutdowns the union has been able to connect with partners to provide free public transportation for federal employees who are still required to work and food banks. Glover says the union will be in touch with the city of Philadelphia in an effort to secure free public transportation, and is also connecting with other unions to coordinate support.

Workers can also call 211 to be connected with resources as they face challenges associated with the shutdown such as being unable to pay bills, he said.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R., S.D.) emerged from a large bipartisan gathering on the Senate floor saying that “a lot of people would really like to find a path forward.”

“But it requires, first of all, to get the government open again,” said Rounds. “And the proposal on the table is 45 days. And then we start working on the issues that divide us.”

Rounds said that the “most reasonable” way to deal with Affordable Care Act tax credits is to extend them for one year, “but with an agreement at the same time to get it back to pre-pandemic over the next two years.”

Senators once again failed to pass a short-term funding bill pushed by Republicans that would've ended the federal government's shutdown.

Two Democrats — Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D., Nev.) — and Sen. Angus King (I., Maine) once again joined Republicans, who hold the majority. But Republicans needed 60 votes and ended with just 55 after Sen. Rand Paul (R., Ky.) voted against the measure again.

Fetterman said Tuesday his decision to vote with Republicans was an attempt to put "country over my party" and avoid the "chaos" a shutdown would cause.

As of 10 a.m. Brad Starnes, a union leader at the Environmental Protection Agency out of Philadelphia, was trying to figure out how much money the agency still had.

Federal agencies may have residual funds that will allow them to function with their normal operations for some period of time after a shutdown starts, he said.

“I don't know if my EPA folks are officially shut down at this point, because if there was any money, they would remain working until that money was exhausted — that’s how it’s worked in past years,” he said.

Democrats and Republicans remain dug in ahead of a Senate vote Wednesday morning that could reopen the government.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said in a floor speech Wednesday Republicans haven't been willing to negotiate to gain the Democratic votes needed to pass a short-term spending bill that would end the government shutdown.

“Democrats want to avert this crisis, but Republicans tried to bully us, and it’s clear they can’t. They don’t have the votes," Schumer said.

Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, will meet with Republicans today at 1 p.m. to discuss potential federal layoffs and budget cuts with the government shutdown, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R., Lou.) confirmed on CNN Wednesday.

Normally, federal workers are furloughed during a government shutdown and given back pay when they return to work. But President Donald Trump has threatened mass layoffs if Democrats didn't come to terms with Republicans to keep the government funded.

"We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible," Trump said at the White House Tuesday. "Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things [Democrats] like, cutting programs that they like."

Throngs of tourists flocked to Philadelphia's most famous icon, only to be met with closed doors at the Liberty Bell Center. Independence Hall was similarly closed, forcing tour guides to adjust timelines and vamp a little.

Both bell and hall fall under the National Park Service's purview, which visitors like Jess Haddad, 28, learned of in real time Wednesday.

She and her family, who were visiting from New Jersey, were “bummed” to see Independence Hall closed. The trio hunkered down on a bench to search for other landmarks to visit before they made the journey home.

ICE will continue to conduct immigration enforcement during the government shutdown.

Other aspects of the nation’s immigration system may slow, depending on the particular agency or duty.

The Trump administration has made Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests and detentions a top priority, notes the American Immigration Council’s Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, pouring dollars and people into its effort to bolster agency operations. Most ICE work is deemed “essential” and will continue.

Transportation Security Administration and air traffic controllers are considered essential in the federal workforce and are among those required to continue working during the shutdown.

Seven years ago, these workers had staffed airports across the country for weeks without a paycheck when several air traffic controllers in Virginia and Florida called out, setting off a chain reaction of slowdowns at major airports across the country, including Philadelphia.

As of Wednesday morning, however, PHL operations continued to run smoothly, said airport spokesperson Heather Redfern.

The federal government has shut down as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and federal workers are among the first to bear the brunt.

The current shutdown could look different from those of the past. President Donald Trump’s administration has directed federal agencies to prepare layoff plans separate from the temporary furloughs that typically take place when Congress fails to reach an agreement on how to fund the government.

The threat of a government shutdown has become a frequent occurrence in recent years, noted Philip Glover, national vice president for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 3, which represents federal employees in Philadelphia. Each time, as the funding deadline approaches, it leaves federal workers wondering whether they’ll be working and getting paid in the days ahead.

For the first time in seven years, the federal government has been forced to shut down after Republicans and Democrats failed to find a short-term funding solution.

Just two Democrats — Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D., Nev.) — and Sen. Angus King (I., Maine) voted for a Republican measure that would have funded the government through Nov. 21. Republicans fell four votes short after Sen. Ran Paul (R., Ky.) voted against the measure.

The shutdown officially began at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, the start of the government's new fiscal year.

It remains unclear how the government shutdown will directly impact Philadelphia, since each federal agency will roll out its own plan.

In Philadelphia, the most recent government shutdown in 2018-19 during President Donald Trump's first term led to the closing of both Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center.

The city’s Immigration Court was closed, accepting only emergency filings for people already in detention.

It's unclear how long this federal government shutdown will last, but if history is a guide it might not go on that long.

Since 1980, there have been 10 government shutdowns that led to furloughs, which have lasted on average about nine days. While most haven't lasted longer than a week (some ended after a few hours), the most recent shutdown that began in December 2018 lasted 35 days. 

That shutdown, which occurred during President Donald Trump's first term over construction of a wall along a portion of the border between the United States and Mexico, ended in part due to delays at airports due to staffing issues.

Republicans have said if the government shuts down, Democrats would be to blame particularly because of this one talking point — but it’s not accurate.

Several prominent Republicans, including President Donald Trump himself, have been floating the claim Democrats were shutting down the government to fund free healthcare for “illegal immigrants.”

"They want to have illegal aliens come into our county and get massive healthcare at the cost to everybody else," Trump falsely said in the Oval Office Tuesday.

The American Federation of Government Employees and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging threats made by President Donald Trump's administration to lay off federal employees during a government shutdown.

A memo from the Office of Management and Budget last week directed federal agencies to make plans for a mass reduction in force — known as RIFs — separate from furloughs that typically occur during a shutdown.

The layoffs would apply to employees in programs “not consistent with the President’s priorities" in addition to those that rely on discretionary funding that would lapse as of Wednesday without another available funding source.

Both the National Weather Service and the union representing meteorologists say employees will keep showing up, even if their paychecks don’t.

Come snow or high water, “All NWS employees will report for their regular shifts on October 1st even if the federal government shuts down", said Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization.

In a statement, the weather service said that its “products, watches and warnings will continue to be issued as normal and will not be affected.”