WATCH BELOW
‘Really increases anxiety’ | Government shutdown threatens jobs, services across Central Georgia
Elizabeth Hunter
WMAZ, Macon
With the government shutdown set to begin at midnight, thousands of federal employees in Central Georgia face the uncertainty of furloughs and unpaid work, while key services and programs risk suspension.
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“It’s really a tough time. It’s an impact on people’s livelihood,” says Alonzo Sirmans, an Army veteran.
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“I’m not a big fan of the impact that it has on families who are serving our country,” says Sirmans.
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“It’s attached to what we call politics,” says Sirmans. “It’s hard to take serious. One side fighting against the next side.”
Federal workers at Robins Air Force Base could be furloughed, while some will work without pay. TSA agents and air traffic controllers at Middle Georgia Regional Airport will also be affected.
National parks and historic sites like Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park will close, and programs like WIC and SNAP, which provide food assistance to over a million Georgians, may face suspension.
“These are real things in the lives of people. So when they’re challenged by that already and now you have this affecting their finances, it really increases anxiety,” Sirmans says.
Local projects funded by FEMA, such as the Macon-Bibb Emergency Management Agency’s disaster planning and infrastructure upgrades like the stormwater management efforts around Warner Robins, could also suffer delays.
The shutdown’s impact will ripple through the local economy and community until lawmakers resolve the budget impasse.
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