Does the Government Shutdown Matter Outside the Beltway?

The government shutdown is having ripple effects beyond the furloughing of hundreds of thousands of federal workers. The CDC has delayed this year’s flu program; food-safety operations have been curtailed; so have some Head Start programs. Direct benefits to veterans and the disabled could be disrupted. If the debt ceiling’s not lifted, the world’s most powerful nation won’t pay its bills. But, despite the endless debate in Washington, that’s not what most people are talking about in New York City. In New York City and rural Kentucky, it’s hard to find people directly feeling the loss of government services. Elsewhere, it’s a different story.