The shutdown could mean significant travel disruptions for travelers in the US and for visitors from overseas.
Impacts could be felt in longer airport lines, muddled itineraries and US National Park closures, which state officials told CNN they cannot afford to keep open if the federal government shuts down.
Airlines
Flights will continue to take off, but the aviation sector will be under duress and that means most likely some delays and cancellations.
Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees who staff airport security checkpoints are typically deemed essential workers and must remain on the job, but they’ll be working without pay.
Trains
Amtrak trains will continue to roll. Spokesperson Beth K. Toll told CNN that anyone traveling “in the Northeast Corridor and across the country in the coming days and weeks can be assured that Amtrak will remain open for business.”
Amtrak receives public funding but is operated as an independent agency.
National parks
Officials with the parks service told CNN yesterday up-to-date plans for closing sites are still being finalized but referred questions to a 2024 contingency plan that called for completely closing the “majority of National Park sites” to the public.
According to the National Parks Conservation Association, which is an independent advocacy association, the shutdown could shutter 433 park sites across the country. Those looking to explore national parks may find gates shut or doors locked. Alternatively, they may be able to access the park but won’t find any visitor services available.
Museums
Some of the country’s most visited museums, including the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, could be affected by closures.
The Smithsonian, which bills itself as the world’s largest museum complex, said on Tuesday that the organization’s facilities would remain open until at least Monday, October 6, using budget funds from previous years. It oversees 21 museums and the National Zoo, with the majority in Washington, DC.
Passports and visas
A State Department spokesperson told CNN on Monday, “Consular operations domestically and abroad will remain operational. This includes passports, visas, and assisting US citizens abroad.”
Take a look at what it might mean, in full, here.