The Government Shutdown’s Local Impact

Since December 22, the U.S. government has been partially shut down making it almost four weeks in length. In that time about 7,000 federal government employees have been furloughed or laid off. As a result of these layoffs, everyday life is being altered for local government employees.

Some of the local federal workers who are being affected by this shutdown are the staff of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, located in Wilmington, was the country’s first national tallgrass prairie. Although the prairie’s 9,000 acres and 33 miles of trails are open to the public during the shutdown, the office is closed and the staff is not present.

“The office is closed, which is where the welcome center is, but the trails are still open to walkers,” said Connie Heinrich in an interview with The Herald News.

Heinrich serves as the treasurer for the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie Alliance who has a mission of “serving as an advocate and friend of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie by supporting prairie restoration and promoting the many volunteer, research, educational, and recreational opportunities at Midewin.”

According to The Nature Conservancy’s website, in addition to closing the welcome center, Midewin is also forced to postpone and possibly cancel several educational lectures they have scheduled for this month.

Another impacted segment of the federal government are veterans. While the Department of Veteran Affairs remains open, the federal government employs a significant amount of veterans. Amidst this shutdown they may find it difficult to keep up with bills and other financial obligations.

Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital’s outpatient clinic in Joliet is trying to get out the word to furloughed veterans that there are services available that may help them pay bills or get counseling as they go without paychecks.