7 days since government shut down, here's how San Diegans have been impacted

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — As of Tuesday, the federal government remained shut down, impacting people across San Diego County who work for federal agencies and the U.S. military.

As Congress remained at an impasse, with no deal reached between Republicans and Democrats, thousands of federal workers are still without pay and families across San Diego County are feeling the impacts.

Here are just some of the ways San Diegans have been affected directly by the federal government shutdown.

Military and civilian workers without pay

According to a contingency planning document from the Department of Defense last week, there were over 2 million active military personnel working for the Defense Department and over 741,000 civilian employees — nearly 335,000 of which were expected to be furloughed.

Last week, Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar both stated the military personnel would work without pay and civilian workers who are not in “excepted work” would not be working.

Air traffic controllers without pay

The Department of Transportation furloughed more than 11,000 FAA employees, but travel continues. Multiple airports across the country reported a shortage of air traffic controllers on Monday amid the federal shutdown, with several experiencing flight delays as a result.

From San Diego International Airport to smaller airports such as Palomar in Carlsbad, every air traffic controller is expected to go to work during the shutdown, but without getting paid.

Cabrillo National Monument, national parks partially closed

Cabrillo National Monument and more than 400 other national parks and historic sites across the country have also been impacted by the government shutdown.

A sign posted at the Cabrillo National Monument stated that it was closed off to visitors. It is run by federal employees, including park rangers, as well as volunteers.

Families receiving food assistance benefits at risk

Those who rely on food assistance programs such as SNAP and WIC are at risk due to limited staffing and operations at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs both programs.

According to the USDA, the impact of a federal shutdown isn’t felt right away due to the way SNAP is funded. Each month’s benefits are typically issued a month before, and there is reserve funding that would allow SNAP to continue running amid a shutdown.

The WIC, which provides food assistance for low-income pregnant women, new mothers and their children, is low on funds. According to the National WIC Association, money might run out if the shutdown continues beyond two weeks.

The San Diego Food Bank, the largest supplier of food to those with food insecurity in the county, is trying to assist people who are struggling to keep their families fed amid the shutdown.