Potential Government Shutdown

Members of Congress, aides to Congress and the president are technically “essential” employees and will be paid, even if a budget deal cannot be reached by Friday. (Reuters)

Military pay will be affected; the potential shutdown would take place during the military’s two-week pay period. The Defense Department would distribute paychecks for the first week.

The Supreme Court, which remained open during the 1995 and 1996 shutdowns, will conduct its normal operations if a shutdown occurs tomorrow. “The court building will be open to the public during its usual hours,” the Supreme Court said in a statement. The justices are not scheduled to meet in public next week. The court will operate normally through the week of April 11. (Reuters)

The Coast Guard will continue to patrol the waters and agents will still protect U.S. borders. (Reuters)

The National Zoo and the Smithsonian will be forced to turn down visitors. Only guards would be present to keep watch over museum artifacts and zoo animals. (National Zoological Park)

Mail will still be delivered and post offices will remain open. (Reuters)

Non-essential government Web sites will not be updated. (WhiteHouse.gov)

The National Archives will only be staffed by security, responsible for protecting the collections. (Reuters)

The IRS would stop processing refunds for paper-submitted tax returns. (Reuters)