ATLANTA — The government went into lockdown early Wednesday morning, and the effects are still unfolding.
A lot of workers across metro Atlanta are believed to be furloughed or working without pay.
David Casillas drove his family up from Stockbridge to go to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, but it was closed because of the government shutdown.
“We live in Stockbridge, which is, what? 20 miles away? And this is our only time to come visit, and guess what,” Casillas said.
But not far away, in the Carter Center, which is not controlled by the federal government, a crowd gathered to watch the unveiling of the new Postal Service’s Jimmy Carter Forever Stamp.
Wednesday would have been Carter’s 101st birthday, an irony not lost on his grandson Jason Carter.
“I think part of celebrating my grandfather, I hope, is to celebrate the idea that it doesn’t have to be this way. We have the ability to elect leaders and have leaders who can bring people together, and we just have to do it,” Carter said.
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Not far away, a lighted sign at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed its museum was closed, too. Another victim of the shutdown.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, 64% of all CDC employees are furloughed. That’s more than 8,700 people nationwide, with more than 1,500 of them in danger of losing their jobs permanently through a reduction in force.
Sarah Boim is a former CDC employee who was let go during the DOGE cuts.
She’s imploring Congress and President Donald Trump to end the shutdown.
“People are not bargaining chips. So I really need the people in the government, in Congress, the President to stop pointing fingers and resolve this problem in a way that will help these people continue providing for their families and continue working for the American people,” Boim said.
In a memo sent by the Gov. Brian Kemp’s budget office, state agencies that use federal money for services or employees were warned they could face furloughs and stoppages as well.
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