Democrats and Republicans in Congress have until midnight to avoid a government shutdown. A shutdown could hurt the economy and have an impact in New Jersey.
From previous shutdowns, travelers at Newark Airport faced delays because of a shortage of air traffic controllers caused by the shutdown and food safety inspections were reportedly delayed.
The vast majority of TSA agents and air traffic controllers would work without pay. According to reports, during the most recent shutdown in December of 2018 to January 2019 , TSA agents called out sick at higher than usual rates, leading to longer lines at security checkpoints.
Many fear the government's efforts to strengthen the air traffic control system would also be hindered.
Under a government shutdown, military service members would continue to work without pay.
Most civilian employees in the military would face furloughs. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst relies on civilian workers for military support services. And Picatinny Arsenal employs civilian employees working on weapons development.
New Jersey has several facilities operated by the National Park Service. Based off of the previous shutdown Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park and Sandy Hook should remain open but Thomas Edison National Historical Park could be closed.
During the last shutdown, National Parks across the county saw an increase in trash and dumping due to lack of park rangers patrolling them.
Amtrak, which has stops along NJ Transit's Northeast Corridor, should continue operating, but may eventually need congress to allocate federal funds.