List of National Parks, Museums, Buildings Closed in a Government Shutdown

Every second counts as disagreement in Congress is leading closer to a government shutdown that would affect millions of Americans in different ways.

House Republicans remain at an impasse over a continuing resolution that would continue to fund federal government jobs and services and avoid an October 1 shutdown, with hard-line party members wanting to cut spending rather than approve more. Speaker Kevin McCarthy has tried to unite the House GOP to keep the government running and avoid the potential political fallout for his party if a shutdown occurs, but so far he has not succeeded.

The effects on the U.S. economy would be harsh, depending on the shutdown's length. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be furloughed. The American travel industry could be facing a predicted loss of $1 billion per week. And the Federal Reserve, which has been focused on bringing inflation down to 2 percent, could see its work severely hindered without the economic data it needs from federal departments.

During a 35-day shutdown that began in December 2018, 800,000 workers were required to work without pay or furloughed from their jobs without pay. In the end, that shutdown cost the U.S. economy about $11 billion.

"A lot of it really comes down to the length of time it takes," Jadrian Wooten, an economics professor at Virginia Tech, told Newsweek. "What makes me most nervous watching it is seeing how little [Congress has] done to address it.

"I think this has the potential to go longer, which is scary because of the difference in the economy between 2018 and today," he said.

Consumer confidence is much lower than what we've seen previously, Wooten continued. Because of inflation and day-to-day spending, people feel it when they pull out their wallets.

A shutdown could affect potential homebuyers who require government-backed mortgages, farmers who rely on government data to maintain the food supply, and the administration of loans.

"That extra layer would realistically end up hurting consumer confidence first," he said. "I call it death by a thousand needles."

While the ramifications of a shutdown for federal workers and some industries are known, average Americans could feel the impacts in various other ways.

National Parks Would Be Closed

The country's 425 national parks could see a loss of nearly 1 million visitors and lose as much as $70 million every day they are closed in October, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.

This would affect all national monuments, historic houses, battlefields and other units of the park system across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa.

Those who scheduled weddings months or years in advance would be affected, as well as those who planned vacations at the sites. All national park attractions, including visitor centers, campgrounds, research facilities, museums and other facilities, would close as well, in addition to educational programs, ranger hikes and service events.

States could theoretically keep some parks open if they have the funding to do so, like Arches in Utah or Arizona's Grand Canyon. Arches cost Utah a rather paltry $7,662 per day to operate during the 2013 shutdown, according to The New York Times. Grand Canyon costs $93,000 per day but generated $710 million from tourists.

The Interior Department, which oversees the national parks, announced last month that visitor spending in communities near national parks in 2022 resulted in a record-high $50.3 billion, which benefited the nation's economy and also supported 378,400 jobs.

Newsweek reached out to the department for comment on how it would handle a shutdown.

Impact on Air Travel

The White House said earlier this week that an "extreme Republican shutdown" would result in more than 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 transportation security officers—in addition to thousands of other Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel—working without pay.

Florida, California, Texas and New York have the most TSA officers, while California, Texas and Florida have the most air traffic controllers.

Museums and D.C. Attractions

Attractions in Washington, D.C., that receive federal funding would be most at peril of closing. They include the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, the Library of Congress, White House tours, the U.S. Botanic Garden and the Supreme Court.

While the outdoor National Mall would remain open to tourists, tours of monuments and access to gift shops would discontinue.

The Smithsonian Institution, which comprises 21 museums and the National Zoo, has a plan of action in case a shutdown occurs.

"When the Institution's available prior-year funding is exhausted, only federal activities designated as 'excepted' will continue," the plan states. That includes employees protecting life or property, such as national collections and National Zoo animals.

The Smithsonian has two sources of funding: federal appropriations and income generated from gifts, revenue-generating activities and investments (referred to as Smithsonian "trust funds"). It also has two different categories of employees, "federal" and "trust," as determined by the source of funds used to pay an employee's salary.

Trust employees are exempt from a federal shutdown and will continue to work and receive pay as usual.

"Right now, it looks like we will have funding to stay open for about a week after the government shutdown," Ben Marcus, a Smithsonian spokesperson, told Newsweek.

The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum would remain open to the public, according to its own plan, and maintaining buildings and collections would remain a top priority. Non-appropriated fund staff would continue working, and its website would be maintained.

Update 9/29/23, 2:22 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comments from Virginia Tech professor Jadrian Wooten.