Many Americans 'in limbo' as federal government shuts down

Marsha Chapple doesn’t know how — or if — the government shutdown will impact her and the physically and mentally disabled adults she serves.

Chapple, 56, of McKees Rocks, is a caregiver for Trinity Home Care, a Coraopolis-based company that receives federal funding.

“I called in this morning, and we’re just in limbo at this point,” Chapple said. “It’s an intense feeling because you’re not sure of what your future holds.”

The shutdown took effect early Wednesday after the U.S. Senate couldn’t reach a deal to continue funding the government.

About 750,000 federal employees were expected to be furloughed, according to Congressional Budget Office estimates.

Many employees deemed essential will continue to work without being paid for as long as the shutdown lasts and then collect back pay after it ends.

Many programs and services will continue uninterrupted.

Social Security payments still go out. Seniors relying on Medicare coverage can still see their doctors and health care providers can be reimbursed.

Veterans Affairs medical centers and outpatient clinics will remain open, and VA benefits will be processed and delivered. FBI investigators, CIA officers, air traffic controllers and agents operating airport checkpoints will continue working. So do members of the Armed Forces.

Pittsburgh International Airport spokesman Bob Kerlik said passengers wouldn’t notice any changes there as a result of the shutdown.

“As always, safety and security are the top priority in Pittsburgh and throughout the aviation system. Essential federal workers at the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration and Customs and Border Protection will continue to work through the shutdown,” Kerlik said.

Carol Vernon, a spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh District of the Army Corps of Engineers, said all of its “critical missions” will continue, including operation of its 22 locks and dams, overseeing hydropower facilities and responding to emergencies.

Crooked Creek Lake in Armstrong County will remain open since it is designated as a critical mission, Vernon said. It’s one of the Army Corps’ 16 flood-risk reduction reservoirs.

Greensburg’s Bob Linden doesn’t expect the shutdown to have a major impact on him and his wife.

Linden, 69, is eligible for Social Security, but has deferred taking it. He is still employed and receives health benefits from his company. His wife is collecting Social Security.

“From what I understand, it’s not going to impact any Medicare or Social Security payments, but then again, knowing the status of this government, I’m not quite so sure this is the absolute truth that I can count on,” Linden said Wednesday as he walked his 11-year-old beagle, Duke, along Main Street.

In Linden’s eyes, the ongoing government shutdown is “kind of ridiculous.”

“It’s been used as a weapon by both parties in the past,” he said, “and it’s a shame that we can’t get together and talk about these things for long-term fixes.”

Denise and Bill Myers of Buffalo Township are both on Medicare and Social Security. They are concerned that their benefits could be affected if the shutdown drags on for an extended period of time.

“I’ve worked all my life. Why shouldn’t they?” Bill Myers, 70, said of the lawmakers who have been unable to reach a deal to continue funding the government. “They’re two sides that don’t want to make no decisions.”

John Burkett, 45, of Tarentum, also blamed lawmakers for the shutdown, which he called a “bunch of nonsense.”

“They need to stop playing games,” he said.

Burkett said he isn’t confident they will reach a resolution any time soon.

“They can just sit on their hands and it doesn’t make a bit of difference to them,” Burkett said. “They don’t care.”

As she waited Wednesday to board a Spirit Airlines flight from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe to Myrtle Beach, S.C., Kelly Brinker of Sewickley Township said she wasn’t concerned that the shutdown would negatively impact her travels — at least, not on the way down.

“I’m more concerned about Monday,” Brinker said of her planned return date.

Brinker said she was worried whether enough federal workers would show up for their airport-related jobs if the shutdown drags on until then.

That wasn’t going to keep her from traveling.

“It’s not enough to keep me away from the beach,” Brinker said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.