How Would A Government Shutdown Affect New London?

Although several local entities work with federal departments, a government shutdown would have little effect on New London, at least at first.

With Congress at a stalemate over a proposed budget, non-essential federal government services may be closed starting at midnight Friday. The most prominent federal presence in New London, the , will remain open if that occurs.

“Our mission of educating the further officers of the Coast Guard will continue,” reads an official statement from the school.

The Coast Guard is considered an essential service, according to an Associated Press report, and so the would also remain open. It was less clear whether local information centers of the and would close. An employee at the latter office said the workers had not been informed what would happen. According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs would remain largely functional with the possible exception of some areas addressing consumer inquiries. In this case, the would remain open.

Denise Rose, interim city manager, said municipal operations will continue as usual. However, she said a prolonged shutdown could result in more of an impact due to federal assistance in areas such as Community Development Block Grants and human services programs.

“Initially, it shouldn’t have much of an effect,” said Rose. “There is very little direct association with the federal government and municipalities.”

Dr. Nicholas Fischer, superintendent of , said federal grants represent about $7.8 million in the district’s approximately $49 million budget. He said the schools also work with the federal government indirectly through state agencies.

“Obviously, if federal services aren’t available there are numerous agencies with which we work that would be closed,” he said.

However, Fischer said the state agencies through which the federal departments work would remain operational, and the district would continue to work with them. Fischer said the program providing students with free lunch is safeguarded by reserve funds, but it is unclear how long they could sustain the meals.

Amy Martin, manager of media relations for , said some students receive financial aid and the school also applies for federal research grants. Though reimbursement for a portion of this year’s grants could be delayed, as could decisions on current grant applications, the school is mostly sustained by tuition, endowments, and other sources of revenue.

“We have already received this year's federal financial aid money for those students who receive it, and the shutdown would have to last quite a long time to impact those awards for the next academic year,” said Martin.

Michael O’Farrell, spokesman for , said employees at the hospital have been monitoring the news about the potential shutdown. He said the hospital is most concerned with how a shutdown would affect Medicare.

“From what we can tell, the [Obama] Administration is saying that payments will continue if there is a shutdown,” said O’Farrell. “It seems, according to the Administration, that the shutdown would have to be prolonged for payments to be halted.”

would not be affected by a shutdown. A representative with said the office in Shaws Cove would also remain open and people could continue to file for unemployment benefits.