With the partial U.S. government shutdown stretching into its second week, more people are feeling the pain of the closure.
Worst hit are over 800,000 federal employees who are going without a paycheck, which could create a spiral of economic woes throughout the country as they cut back on spending or miss bill payments due to lack of income.
Additionally, many government functions that are deemed “nonessential” are being left undone, which includes much of the U.S. Commerce Department, NASA, the IRS, and the National Park Service.
Furthermore, lack of funding has forced the U.S. Department of Agriculture to stop its regular production of reports on commodity markets, which is leaving farmers, ranchers, and food production companies in the dark.