Overview
- Public access ended Sunday, Oct. 12, after prior-year funds that kept doors open for 11 days of the shutdown were exhausted.
- Animal care continues at the National Zoo and the Conservation Biology Institute, while live animal webcams are turned off as nonessential services.
- All Smithsonian museums, research centers and the National Zoo in Washington and New York are closed to visitors until federal funding is restored.
- D.C.’s tourism economy faces fresh strain during peak fall travel as vendors, restaurants and tour operators anticipate fewer customers and reduced revenue.
- Congress has not resolved the funding lapse, and broader shutdown effects include furloughs, layoff notices and curtailed services at national parks.