The partial government shutdown began on December 22 after President Trump and congressional Democrats could not agree on funding for the president's long-sought southern border wall. While Mr. Trump and congressional leaders have met periodically to try to resolve the impasse -- twice in the first week of January -- they have made no discernible progress.
The president told Democratic leaders he was willing to have the government shut down for "years" over border wall funding.
Nine out of 15 federal departments are closed, as well as dozens of agencies. However, several funding bills were passed and signed, so about 75 percent of government services are unaffected by the shutdown.
More than 420,000 federal employees are working without pay, including agents from the FBI, ATF, DEA and CBP, as well as staff from the State Department, Coast Guard, IRS and Department of Homeland Security.
Another 380,000 workers have been furloughed from departments including NASA, the State Department, the National Park Service, the Forest Service, the Transportation Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the IRS.
Here is what is -- and isn't -- affected by the 2018-2019 partial government shutdown so far:
What is closed during the government shutdown:
The Smithsonian museums and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., shut their doors on January 2.
The National Zoo has closed, although animals are still being cared for by zoo workers.
Many national parks have also closed, but several remain open during the shutdown, albeit without services. Sanitary conditions have rapidly deteriorated at many of the nation's parks, with restroom toilets overflowing and trash piling up.
At Yellowstone, private companies that offer tours have been performing some maintenance, enabling them to continue operating throughout the winter, if necessary, The Associated Press reported.
Volunteer Alexandra Degen cleans a restroom at Joshua Tree National Park on January 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, California. Volunteers with 'Friends of Joshua Tree National Park' have been cleaning bathrooms and trash at the park as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown. Campgrounds and some roads have been closed at the park due to safety concerns. Mario Tama/Getty Images
The IRS has mostly stopped working (only 12 percent of its staff are working -- without pay), and those who are working are mostly focused on security and technology, not on taxpayers' refunds. The IRS is not issuing refunds, updating tax forms or answering phone help lines during the shutdown, according to its shutdown plans.
But anyone hoping that an IRS shutdown means getting a breather on their taxes will be disappointed. The agency's website says taxpayers "should file and pay their taxes as normal."
Immigration courts have closed, forcing judges to indefinitely postpone hearings scheduled months in advance. There is already a backlog of over 800,000 cases.
E-Verify, the government immigration system and database employers use to check and confirm that employees are eligible to work in the United States, is out of service during the shutdown. It typically takes just a few seconds for E-Verify to compare an employee's records against DHS and Social Security records.
#EVerify is not available due to lapse in DHS appropriations. https://t.co/xzw4doYGww — USCIS E-Verify (@EVerify) December 22, 2018
Still open and operating during shutdown:
Mail is still being delivered.
Social Security checks are still going out to recipients, and Medicare and Medicaid are unaffected by the partial shutdown.
Federal courts are still open and operating through January 11, by relying on court fee balances and funds that do not depend on a congressional appropriation. Should the shutdown extend beyond that date, the courts would continue to operate under the Anti-Deficiency Act, in support of Article III powers. However, staffing could be reduced.
TSA agents are considered essential. However, by the 14th day of the shutdown, TSA had seen an increase in sick calls since the shutdown started, although that had not negatively impacted the agency's ability to screen airline passengers, CBS News' Kris Van Cleave reported. As of January 5, major airlines and airports were unaware of any issues or delays at checkpoints.
Special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation will continue because it does not depend on a congressional appropriation for its funding.
USDA services related to law enforcement and "the protection of life and property," and those that are "financed through available funding" -- such as a mandatory appropriation or user fees -- will continue. So, meat, poultry and eggs will continue to be inspected, as will grain and other agriculture commodities.
Nutrition benefits like SNAP will be available through January. Other nutrition assistance programs may operate with any state and local funding resources that are available, but no other federal funds will be provided during the shutdown. Child nutrition programs, like School Lunc and School Breakfast will keep operating into February.
Forest Service law enforcement and emergency response efforts will continue.
U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, which deals with naturalization and citizenship, has been uninterrupted because its operations are funded by user fees.
Veterans are still receiving their benefits because the Veterans Affairs Department was among those funded through September 2019.
Passport services will still be offered during the shutdown. Passports can be renewed by mail or in person at passport agencies, post offices, libraries and other facilities, and processing times are expected to remain unchanged.
Unintended consequences
Pay raises for top officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, were reportedly set to go into effect on Saturday. But federal agencies were told in a memo issued Friday from the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management to hold off enacting the raises during the shutdown, according to The Associated Press.
The raises -- an additional $10,000 a year -- were set to go into effect because a pay freeze for top federal officials was reportedly due to expire Saturday, January 5. The scheduled raises appeared to be an unintended consequence of the government shutdown, The Associated Press reported.
United States  Donald Trump said on Friday he can and may declare a national , which he said would allow him to act without approval from Congress and allocate funding for the construction of a wall along the country's border with Mexico. The US government is currently  because the president and Congress could not agree on a national budget. The President insists that the budget include funding for the wall, which was one of his campaign promises, but Congress has not passed his proposed budget.
File photo of Donald Trump, 2011. 
Trump said on Friday "I can do it call a national emergency if I want. I may do it." Trump also said that he would prefer to agree a solution with the opposition. He also said, "I never threaten anybody." He also claimed that the wall was a crucial part of America's border security. The , Mike Pence, said on Friday the United States is "in the midst of a crisis on our southern border." Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, said on Friday "We are committed to keeping our border safe. We can do that best when government is open. We made that clear to the president."

The , , said on Friday "We made a plea to the president once again: don't hold hundreds of thousands of federal workers hostage" and "So we told the president we needed the government open. He resisted."

  and incoming chair of the    both yesterday questioned the President's power to do as he proposed.  Schiff called it "a non-starter".  Durbin said "I can just tell you, I don't know what he's basing this on, but he's faced so many lawsuits when he ignores the law and ignores tradition and precedent and just goes forward without any concern".

President Trump claims he would be okay if the impasse over the shutdown went on for "years." This lockdown started on December 22, last year. Some museums, the , and immigration courts have shut, with some people working in still-open services without pay. The  website advises citizens to continue paying their federal taxes. Some services are still open, including medical services  and . Federal courts are relying on non-government sources, like court fees, for funding.





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CAT:Politics and conflictsCAT:Donald TrumpCAT:Nancy Pelosi