The federal government shutdown that started at early Wednesday is already having an impact in New Jersey.
Around 48,000 federal employees in New Jersey, including about half serving in the U.S. military, are facing the prospect of either working without pay or being furloughed, state officials said.
The shutdown has already disrupted the construction of the Gateway rail tunnel project connecting New Jersey and New York City. It is also threatening to shut down all or part of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and other local sites run by the National Park Service.
The stalemate in Washington, D.C., stems from disagreements over healthcare. Democrats are seeking to restore cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act in Republican-backed legislation signed in July by President Donald Trump.
Under federal law, agencies must furlough non-essential employees in the event of a shutdown. Others, including TSA workers at Newark Liberty International Airport, keep working but will not get paid until an agreement is reached and the shutdown ends.
The last shutdown of the federal government started in December 2018, during Trump’s first term, and lasted for 35 days.
On Wednesday, some effects were being noticed in New Jersey. The Trump administration cited the shutdown in announcing that it would withhold funding for the $16 billion Gateway rail tunnel project between New Jersey and New York under the Hudson River.
U.S. Sen Andy Kim, D-N.J., called the withholding of funds an illegal action by Trump and an act of political retribution.
”And that’s something that we need to stand up against and take action and appropriate legal action and things to stand up for our families,” Kim told NJ Advance Media.
Picatinny Arsenal, the 6,500-acre U.S. Army base in Morris County with several thousand employees, appeared to be scaling back operations for those not in the military due to the shutdown.
“Military personnel will continue in a normal duty status, without pay, until such time as a continuing resolution or appropriations are passed by Congress and signed into law. Civilian personnel not engaged in excepted activities will be placed in a non-work, non-pay status,” read an announcement from the U.S. Department of Defense.
The federal National Park Service operates Ellis Island and Liberty Island, which from New Jersey are accessible via ferry from Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
Both islands remained open on Wednesday afternoon, but perhaps not for much longer. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would not use state funding to keep Ellis Island and Liberty Island open to visitors, as it did during the last federal government shutdown in 2018.
Other National Park sites in New Jersey include Sandy Hook, Paterson Great Falls and Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange. The sites’ websites said, “National parksremainas accessible as possible during the federal government shutdown. However, some services may be limited or unavailable.”
Federal officials said the National Park sites will stay open as long as possible.
“The National Park Service will continue to keep parks as accessible as possible during the lapse in appropriations,“ the agency said in an email to NJ Advance Media.
“Critical functions that protect life, property, and public health will remain in place, including visitor access in many locations, law enforcement, and emergency response,” the agency said.
The Jersey Shore Half Marathon, an annual race since the early 1970s and organized by the Shore Athletic Club, is scheduled to take place Sunday at Sandy Hook, which is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.
Joe Compagni, a coach for the Shore Athletic Club, told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday he was planning to speak with officials on whether the race may proceed as planned.
The federal government shutdown is having no immediate or direct effect on state parks, forests and historic sites, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection said.
Democrats and Republicans were continuing to assign blame for the shutdown.
“If Republicans were serious about keeping the government open, they would have come to the table to address the health care crisis they have singlehandedly manufactured,” said U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.
“President Trump and Republicans control the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Together, they put forth a budget without any input from Democrats, and repeatedly refused to work across the aisle to negotiate a funding bill that could address the pain their policies have caused and actually earn Democratic support,” Booker said.
U.S. Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-7th District, said prior to the shutdown that Democrats are “playing political games.”
“The House has already passed a bipartisan funding bill based on the very spending framework that Democrats themselves supported in the past. It is unacceptable that vital government services are being threatened and that federal workers may be furloughed,” Kean said.
Neither side, though, appeared to be disputing the potential impact on scores of New Jersey residents and federal services in the state.
“A shutdown that lasts several weeks or longer could also impact nutrition programs, due to a lack of funding, a delay in processing benefits, or both,” the Community FoodBank of New Jersey said in a statement.
“Neighbors who receive federally funded benefits – like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – could lose access to these critical lifelines. Even programs that provide formula and health care for babies in our state could be at risk,” the Community FoodBank of New Jersey said.
Many services in New Jersey will be continuing, such as Social Security checks and Medicare payments, but new applications might not be processed.
The shutdown does not affect the U.S. Postal Service.
“Because we are an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars, our services will not be impacted by a government shutdown,” the postal service said last week.