By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer
An estimated 800,000 U.S. residents are out of work until further notice as a result of the government shutdown.
Second Dist. Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Little Rock) said he had furloughed 10 of his 16 staff members, keeping his legislative aide and chief of staff among four in Washington, closing his Conway office and keeping two staffers at his Little Rock Office.
“As I have said for weeks, shutting down the federal government is terrible policy, but Democrats in the Senate wanted a government shutdown for political purposes and refused to work with the House to find a solution,” Griffin said. “On behalf of the thousands of Arkansans who will be directly impacted by the shutdown, I urge the Senate to join us.”
In almost the reverse of a presidential line-item veto, House Republicans Tuesday evening were considering funding parts of the shut-down federal government that they like, turning the tables on Democrats.
Republicans reportedly wanted to fund the National Park Service, part of the Department of Veteran Affairs and the District of Columbia.
That’s only possible with help from Democrats, who voted against it. Republicans are blaming Democrats for shutting down the government.
The largest number of Central Arkansas furloughs from the government shutdown would be civilian employees at local military bases — 335 at Little Rock Air Force Base alone.
On Monday, Gov. Mike Beebe warned that the shutdown of the government would put many Arkansans out of work and “leave Arkansas children in peril.”
He said it would hinder the ability of the state Department of Human Services to investigate child abuse and neglect and that 85,000 meals for children would not be provided. He said 2,000 newborns would not get infant formula through the Health Department’s WIC program.
Beebe estimated that as many as 2,000 state workers would be furloughed — thousands more if the shutdown continues. “It also hurts our local and state economies,” he said.
The state Department of Humans Services announced Monday that it would furlough 248 employees. A breakdown by division shows that 90 employees from the Division of Developmental Disabilities, 79 from the Division of Medical Services, 65 from Children and Family Services, eight from the Division of Aging and Adult Services, four from Behavioral Health Services, and two from Youth Services were furloughed.
TRICARE, the military health care system, said “While we can’t predict the exact consequences of a shutdown on every part of our MHS, we will likely see some impact on the delivery of health care services within our military hospitals and clinics. Inpatient, acute and emergency outpatient care in our medical and dental facilities will continue, as will private sector care under TRICARE.”
Local school districts say that, in the short term, the effect would be minimal — that they can afford to keep federal after school, Head Start, free-and-reduced price lunches and other programs by temporarily pulling funds from other budget items. That’s assuming restitution and a shutdown that doesn’t last too long.
Cabot Superintendent Tony Thurman said, “We have a large number of parents and guardians that are being impacted by the shutdown. This obviously causes stress at home that can carry over to children.
“We work closely with the Department of Human Services and other state agencies in various ways. There is a ripple effect when an agency is closed that we typically work with on a regular basis. We will continue to take care of our students but we will miss the resources provided by agencies such as DHS while they are closed,” he continued.
Jerry Guess, superintendent of Pulaski County Special School District, said, “We’ll issue the payroll and ask for reimbursement. We have federal employees. We’re not going to curtail any services.”
Jacksonville Mayor Gary Fletcher says the city’s operations are continuing. The only problem he’s encountered is that some meetings with federal agencies had to be cancelled. “Not doom and gloom for me,” he said.
On its website, the Clinton Presidential Library said it was closed, as were all national archives facilities.
Also closed were National Parks, such as the Buffalo National River, Hot Springs National Park and National Historic Sites such as the Central High School site, which was confirmed by its superintendent, Robin White. “We are in the process of closing down as we speak,” she said.
The Little Rock District Army Corps of Engineers said all its campgrounds would be closed by 8 p.m. Wednesday, but critical navigation and flood control duties would continue.
Jay Townsend, public affairs specialist, said the celebration at Greer’s Ferry Dam, dedicated 50 years ago, would continue as scheduled.
Gen. (Ret.) Wesley Clark said, “Starting today, the Department of Veterans Affairs may be forced to furlough up to 20,000 claims processors -- wiping out all of the recent progress made reducing the backlog...We could also begin to see immediate lapses in care. During the 1995 shutdown, some military hospitals canceled appointments and even some surgeries.
“The VA believes that, after two or three weeks, benefit checks it issues, including disability claims and pension payments will be disrupted,” Clark said.
State Highway Department spokesman Randy Ort said, “It’s not having an effect on the Highway Department, nor funds appropriated from the Federal Highway Trust Fund.” He added that the shutdown would not affect current construction and plans.
