Louisville braces for impact on food, services, travel during government shutdown

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The federal government is at a standstill, but here at home the effects aren’t fully visible -- at least not yet.

The U.S. federal government shutdown began on Oct. 1, after Congress failed to pass a spending bill before the fiscal year deadline. From airports to food pantries, the longer this shutdown drags on, the more we could start to feel the strain.

"It could impact food banks or food pantries in many ways," Alexus Richardson, Dare to Care Director of Communications said. "Whether that's cutting off the line, whether that's putting in more restrictions, that's something that we don't want to do."

Dare to Care is among the food banks bracing for the impact of the federal shutdown. It's already seen a record number of people needing food assistance this year.

While it hasn't see any cuts to food yet, the potential delays for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), and WIC program benefits could mean more people waiting in line.

"If they're not getting those food stamps or if they're not getting their WIC, they're coming to the food bank to kind of help put food on the table," Richardson said.

Sister Visitor Center relies heavily on USDA for food. Food Pantry Manager Laura Williams said the shelves are fairly empty.

"We don't have a lot of product right now," Williams said. "But we are open to all of Kentuckiana. Anybody who shows up at our door is going to go home with food. The government is not going to stop that for us."

University of Louisville Economist Jose Ferandez said about 33% of Louisville nonprofits are leveraging federal funds.

"Any type of prolonged shutdown could start affecting their ability to pay their employees and get services done," Ferandez said. "When it comes to the University of Louisville, we would have issues applying for grants and receiving grant funding that hasn't already come to the university. That would also delay research and payments for those individuals."

Earlier this week, Mayor Craig Greenberg said thousands of federal workers who live in Louisville may go without pay. This also means the essential services that Louisville Metro Government provides could be delayed, scaled back, or halted altogether.

This ranges from food assistance and housing programs to small business support and transportation projects.

Louisville Metro Housing Authority said it is "closely monitoring the federal government shutdown."

"Because LMHA is 90% federally funded, our team is actively monitoring this process," spokesperson Jailen Leavell said. "Our Finance staff have drawn down all allowable funds to ensure operations continue without disruption. At this time, it is business as usual for LMHA. We remain committed to serving our residents, partners, and community without interruption."

This week is fall break for a lot of families in Kentuckiana, so WDRB took a trip to check on Louisville International Airpo"rt. Officials said TSA and FAA Air Traffic Controllers are considered essential workers during the shutdown, so they're still clocking in.

"I feel like they should be getting paid," Norah McIntyre said before her flight to Oklahoma City. "That seems really unfair."

As of Thursday it's "business as usual" for airport operations. All the travelers WDRB spoke with said they didn't notice longer lines or wait times.

"No issues with going through TSA, boarding, or coming through the airport here," Steve Nichols said when he landed in Louisville. "The airports look fairly robust, fairly crowded, so it feels like everyone's flying."

When it comes to traveling, many say now is not the time to try the "airport theory," which is a social media trend where people arrive at the airport 15 to 20 minutes before their flight is scheduled to begin boarding. Give yourself plenty of time to get through TSA and find your gate.

"I'm showing up two hours early because you just never know," McIntyre said. "Especially if you're checking bags."

It's been several years since the government last shutdown. Typically, social security, The U.S. Postal Service, veterans benefits, Medicaid, and Medicare are among the programs that continue. However, many loans and grant services tend to close.

"If this is a short shutdown, you probably won't even notice it," Ferandez said. "A lot of these local organizations do prepare for these types of events, and they try to have some money on hand."

Getting your driver's license or a visa could be delayed during the shutdown. SNAP and WIC programs could also be limited.

"If anyone is in need of food, please come to Sister Visitor Center," Williams said. "We're open to all of Kentuckiana and we'll be glad to help you."

If you are in need of Dare to Care's help with food assistance, click here.

The country's national parks are also facing limited service accessibility, including Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. The National Park Service, which manages the park, said it will continue to share "critical information" about park access, safety and resources. While the agency said it will continue to keep parks as accessible as possible, some services may be limited.

According to Mammoth Cave's website, the park is open 24 hours a day, but access to the visitors center and cave tours are limited.

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