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Countdown to Shutdown
Aired April 07, 2011 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to a special hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, "Countdown to Shutdown."
We're covering the country, as only CNN can, to show you what the federal government is and what it does and what it won't do if it can't spend money. Just as important, we're listening to you. It's your money the politicians are fighting over, your services, facilities, even paychecks. Maybe even your paycheck, hanging in the balance.
CNN correspondents are fanned out from the Pentagon to the Pacific Ocean, counting down live to the first federal shutdown in more than 15 years.
From jobs to parks to troops to outer space, we are bringing the government home in ways you might never have imagined.
We begin with two major questions. Deal or no deal? And open or closed?
President Obama wants a deal, so he's brought the Republican Speaker of the House and the Democratic Leader of the Senate back to the Oval Office in search of a plan to keep the government running for the rest of the fiscal year. That's a little less than six months.
If they don't come to terms, every federal office or function or tourist attraction not considered essential will close up shop beginning Saturday. Congressional staff members are finding out as we speak whether they'll be furloughed or required to keep working if the money runs out. And the same thing is going on in federal workplaces all across the country.
The House will vote today on yet another stop-gap spending bill, a one-week measure combing $12 billion in immediate cuts, with six months of funding for the Pentagon. The president says he will veto that.
CNN's Tom Foreman is manning our countdown desk in D.C., and he's done some digging on the impact a government shutdown might have.
Tom, what do we need to know?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Randi, what you need to know is the degree to which this will affect you depends almost entirely on who you are, what you do, and where you want to do it.
Look at this. If the government shutdowns actually comes through, who's affected?
An estimated 800,000 federal workers could be furloughed, as you mentioned. U.S. troops won't be paid on time. Processing of paper tax returns and refunds will stop. If you file electronically, that's not the case.
Passport applications will be at a slower pace. National parks and museums will close.
The approval of small business loans will stop at the SBA. The EPA would cease monitoring pollution. And there would be no new clinical trials at NIH.
So you can see, yes, these are real problems for the people whoa re connected to this. But you can also see how other people who say, I'm not going to a national park, I filed electronically, I don't need a new passport, this doesn't affect me. So it sort of depends on your circumstances how much you're going to care about this.
If we look, however, at who does get paid and what continues operating here, the essential services are what continues -- air traffic patrol, airport screening, food inspection, Border Patrol, members of Congress get paid. So, the bottom line is, things that are considered essential will be paid. Things that can be pushed off or delayed, Randi -- and we're not talking about people not getting paid at all, we're just talking about a delay -- that will be pushed off.
KAYE: Yes, but even a delay for so many could be painful.
FOREMAN: Huge.
KAYE: All right. Tom Foreman on the Countdown Desk.
Thank you, Tom.
A government shutdown, if it happens, would have a huge impact on the nation's military. For one thing, paychecks for the men and women in uniform would be delayed, as Tom was just talking about.
Kyle posted this on my Twitter page today: "I'm active duty military myself. How do they expect me to provide for my 3 and 1- year-old children? I have to go, but get no money."
But there are other serious implications as well.
Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence joins us from our Washington studio.
Chris, I know you've been talking to some of the servicemen and women about this. What are you hearing from them?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, flat out, they're worried. And we're not so much talking about necessarily the general with 20, 25 years of service. You've got to remember just how young some of these military families are, married, one, two kids. And they don't make a lot of money at the private level, private first class level.
We were just talking with a woman. Her husband deployed to Iraq back in September. He's gone for a year. She has a 2-year-old and 3- month-old, and she is, frankly, just horrified and scared to death at what's going to happen if the exact amount that she's used to getting every two weeks is not in that check next time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMY TERSIGNI, HUSBAND DEPLOYED TO IRAQ: It's hard enough having a relationship and dealing with everything of them being over there and not home, and telling your kids when they go to bed at night, sorry, daddy's still at work. But then the financial stress of not having a paycheck and not knowing when you're going to get it doesn't help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAWRENCE: Yes. And, you know, as Amy really explained to us, people say, well, you should have savings, you should have money to fall back on. Well, when you're a 21-year-old couple with two kids, and you're in the military, that doesn't really give you much time to save up this huge nest egg. I mean, once she pays rent and buys the kids food and all the essentials, there's just not a lot of money to go around.
KAYE: No. It's really a terrible thought, to think that these people might not get their money when they need it most.
Chris Lawrence, thank you for bringing us those voices.
LAWRENCE: You're welcome.
KAYE: Of course the most important component of the U.S. military are the men and women serving in uniform. There are approximately 1,445,000 in active duty today. Here are some other facts related to a possible shutdown you may not be aware of.
All VA health care facilities would remain open in the event of a shutdown. Some 285,000 VA employees would show up for work during a shutdown. Now, on the downside, new disability claims would not be able to be processed, but suicide lines would remain open.
The clock's ticking. And we, of course, do want to hear from you.
You can join our conversation on our blog, CNN.com/Ali, or you can post your thoughts on Ali's Facebook and Twitter pages. And you can check out my Facebook and Twitter pages as well. Let us know what you're thinking. We want to hear your voices during this hour.
And we'll share your comments a little bit later on in the show.
You can also share your video stories with us, if you can, by going to CNNireport.com. Keep those iReports coming.
What happens when you put 800,000 people out of work in one day? Well, if no budget deal is reached, we are all about to find out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LINDSEY KNAPP, GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE: If I don't get to come into work on Monday, I don't know how I'm going to pay my bills. But I guess they just want me to tell my 3-year-old daughter in the meantime that she can't eat, that she'll have to eat retroactively, when I get paid again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: If the federal government shuts down, people who work in essential services will stay on the job. Just about everybody else will be put on furlough. About 800,000 people will be out of work -- 800,000 -- across the country. That is more than the entire population of Denver.
With that many people without a paycheck for as long as the shutdown continues, what kind of economic fallout can this cause?
We received this comment on our blog from Luis: "This is a disgusting game of politics, and the people always seem to be caught in the middle of it."
CNN's Casey Wian is in Long Beach, California, for us today.
And Casey, you're at a job fair. I'm curious what kind of reaction you're getting from people there. Is it more anger or more understanding?
CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it's more frustration, is the reaction we're getting here. And I am, as you mentioned, at a job fair.
There's about 15 different employers here -- Southern California Edison, the Los Angeles Police Department, even Forest Lawn Mortuaries. Organizers here are expecting about 500 people over the next couple of hours who are potential applicants for jobs that these companies are offering.
And for no one is this a good time to be out of work, but given the fact that the federal government may shut down tomorrow at midnight Eastern Time, for someone who's looking for a federal job, it's a particularly difficult time.
Now, joining me is one of these job seekers. His name is Rich Gabele, and he used to be an IT manager for the U.S. Census Department for three years, now looking for a job hopefully in the federal government.
Given the fact that the federal government may shut down because there's no budget deal tomorrow, Rich, what is that like for you as a job seeker? RICH GABELE, JOB SEEKER: It's very frustrating, because the budget is going to affect the hiring ability for the government employers that I'm looking to get a job through. And I've seen this happen in the past. In '95, '96, I was also working with the government and saw that, and it was a very difficult time. And I see that right now.
WIAN: Who do you think is responsible for getting this situation so close to the precipice?
GABELE: It's a mixed bag. There are those in Congress who don't want to cut their favorite spending areas, and there are those who are recently voted in, elected to reduce the budget. And, you know, those two just have a hard time getting together.
WIAN: Are you optimistic that, given this situation in the federal government, that you're going to be able to find a federal job any time soon?
GABELE: I am praying that I will get a job soon. I can only hope that this budget crisis will come to an end. I don't see an immediate answer to it right now, but --
WIAN: Good luck in your search. And thanks for your time.
Randi, that's it. We've got a lot frustration here. A lot of people looking for work.
And we'll be following this throughout the day -- Randi.
KAYE: Well, the president has said that he doesn't want this to take us into another recession. So, certainly, that is being echoed by the people there.
Casey, thank you.
How many government workers are we talking about here? Well, there is the 800,000 that we just mentioned. Those are the workers deemed nonessential and will be furloughed. That means no work, no pay.
But there is also another million-plus workers who are deemed essential and will report to work, but they won't get paid for working. At least not for now.
If you think this might actually help the economy, well, guess again. Research firm Capital Economic says it costs as much as one percent of the country's GDP if it goes on long enough. That's a big number.
One of the other consequences of a government shutdown, tourism dollars going right down the drain.
That part of our special coverage is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRUCE SAMUELS: The idea that all these people here are enjoying the Air and Space museum, the free Smithsonian institutions, that that wouldn't be available to the public, is really a crime. We elected these people to do some work, not to have gridlock.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: Welcome back.
We are devoting this whole hour of CNN to the potential government shutdown.
The ripple effect of a shutdown is likely to have huge consequences on many levels. And the threat to the nation's economy and tourism is grave.
States around the country would take a hard hit. Visiting the Washington Monument? Closed. The St. Louis Arch? Closed. Yellowstone? Closed.
All national museums, monuments and parks across the U.S. would simply shut down. Eight hundred thousand visitors a day would be turned away.
We're not just talking dollars and cents here either. Around this time of year tourists spend $32 million a day. That money -- that's right -- it's gone. The impact to travelers would be widespread, especially for those visiting the nation's capital.
We have teams at the nation's museums and national parks.
Kate Bolduan is at the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall. And David Mattingly is at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee for us.
Kate, let's begin with you. The Smithsonian museums, one of the most popular destinations along the Mall there. If Congress fails to reach a budget compromise, how many people could be turned away this weekend in just D.C. alone, I'm wondering?
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In just D.C. alone, it could reach into hundreds of thousands, honestly.
We're on the National Mall, lined by the Smithsonian museums. I want to quickly bring in Linda St. Thomas. She's a spokeswoman with the Smithsonian Institution who can help us understand that very question.
Linda, what could a potential shutdown mean for the Smithsonian museums and for visitors?
LINDA ST. THOMAS, SMITHSONIAN SPOKESPERSON: Well, for the visitors, the impact is huge. You can see how crowded the Mall is. I just talked to a group of 98 kids that were here from North Carolina. They had come up on a bus, and they were visiting Washington through Saturday. So I'm hoping that maybe the museums and the zoo will be open on Saturday, because they planned to spend the day at the zoo.
BOLDUAN: And what does this mean for the Smithsonian's employees? There are thousands of federal employees that work for the Smithsonian Institution.
THOMAS: The Smithsonian has 4,000 federal employees, so we would be furloughed just as the other two million federal employees are. A lot of the Smithsonian security of course would still be on duty, as would the staff at the zoo to take care of the animals. But other than that, the federal employees wouldn't be here.
BOLDUAN: You have a unique perspective. You were here during the -- you were working for the Smithsonian during the last shutdown.
How is this different? How is this the same? What's your perspective this time around?
THOMAS: Well, it was 16 years ago, so it was a little bit different. Mostly, it was mid-December and early January. That is not our tourist season. That's a very quiet time of year. And, in addition, we were having snowstorms, and it was just kind of a mess.
Right now, we are on spring break time and Cherry Blossom. And just in general, tourist time for families and school groups.
BOLDUAN: And Randi, Linda had mentioned to me just this weekend, alone, if the government shuts down, looking at comparable weekends, you could see a loss in revenue of $700,000 jut with having to shut down this one weekend. Of course, all federal employees, and Linda included, hoping this doesn't get to that point -- Randi.
KAYE: Paychecks and revenue just simply vanish in a case like this.
All right, Kate. Thank you.
I want to bring in David Mattingly, who's in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.
David, I'm curious, what are park visitors telling you? Are they afraid they're going to have to pack up and head home?
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Randi, this is a place you'd normally come to get away from it all and leave your cares behind. Well, today, people are bringing a lot of apprehension along with them as they come to visit this park, the most visited park in America.
Half of the people in the country live within a day's drive of this place. And there is a tremendous amount of traffic through here every single day. In fact, with me today is a family of 16. They're all from Georgia. They make it a family tradition to come here every year at spring break.
They're at the end of their vacation. So they're among the lucky ones, but they know what might happen and what people might lose if they get caught by the government shutdown and cannot come to this park next week.
What have you seen here that is valuable to your family?
JONATHAN SMALL, TOURIST: Just being out in the nature and actually being able to interact with different people, and also to spend family time and quality time together.
MATTINGLY: The fact that the government may shut down and places like this might close, what do you think people will lose?
SMALL: They'll lose the opportunity to spend time together with their family. They'll lose the opportunity to see nature. They'll also miss the opportunity to, you know, just vacation out in the --
MATTINGLY: Be out here where you can't get a cell signal.
SMALL: That is true.
MATTINGLY: There's a lot of value in that.
What does it mean to your family as you've been able to bring your kids up?
VERMELL WILLIAMS, TOURIST: We do it every year and it just allows us -- it's 50 percent of the activities that we do while we're on vacation. It gives us time to teach them moments about nature and history and science and weather and everything.
MATTINGLY: It's hard to put a dollar figure on it, but you have a personal investment in your vacation every year. How much would it have cost you if the government shut down last weekend?
WILLIAMS: Absolutely. It was three days out of our five-day trip that we've been in the park. So it would have probably -- it probably would have hurt us at least by 50 percent of what it's cost us. I mean, these are full-day activities by coming to the park.
MATTINGLY: And what would happen -- what do you think people are going to be missing if those gates close and they can't come through here like your family did?
TORRI MERRIT, TOURIST: Aside from memories, just learning about history, as she said earlier, science. Just different things that you can't learn in a textbook. But the memories, just together, actively together, makes a big difference.
MATTINGLY: OK.
Randi, we just heard from the McMichael (ph), Small, Merrit, Williams family, all from Georgia.
Kids, did you have a good time?
UNIDENTIFIED CHILDREN: Yes.
MATTINGLY: Yes. Yes. Well, how could you not have a good time? Beautiful weather here today.
This family has been hiking for the last three days, and they can't wait to come back next year for more. And they just hoping that more American families will be able to come here and continue to have the same kind of experience they did if there is no shutdown -- Randi.
KAYE: Yes. Well, with weather like that, they should enjoy that park while they can.
David Mattingly for us.
Thank you.
Another victim of a shutdown? The national zoo. It would close, but the people that take care of the animals will continue to work.
The ever popular panda cams will remain up. Do not fear.
But you guessed it. If they have a technical problem, that goes unresolved until the government is operating again.
And while the National Zoo is the only federally-funded zoo, so the only zoo to close, the National Aquarium in Washington would have to shut its doors as well.
We are getting a ton of comments on our blog. You can join the conversation on the blog, CNN.com/Ali, or by posting your thoughts on Ali's Facebook and Twitter pages. And you can go to my Facebook and Twitter pages as well.
We'd love to know what you think, and we'll share those comments later in the show. You know, we often hear so much from the pundits and the politicians, and this hour is really about you. So tell us what you think.
And you can also share your video stories with us by going to CNNireport.com. We want to hear your voice this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ILENE ROB, SHUTTLE WORKER: Working out at the Space Center, we may not be able to go to work on Monday. And there's a lot of, you know, government workers that won't be able either. And we don't know yet if we'll even be paid for, you know, not working.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KAYE: Back now to the story of the hour, and really for the next 33 hours-plus, the search for a deal that will keep the federal government in business past midnight Friday.
The president is meeting once again with House and Senate leaders and promising to veto a one-week extension the House plans to vote on today.
We want to get you right to our Dana Bash, who has some news about a vote on the House floor.
Dana, what can you tell us?
DANA BASH, CNN SR. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Randi. That's right, there's a vote going on right now. It is on the House Republicans, what they say is their attempt to keep the government running should they not find agreement at this White House meeting or in the next 24 hours, to keep the government running on a bill that goes all year.
This would just be one week. It would be a one-week stop-gap measure. But it also has $12 billion in cuts, and it funds the Defense Department through the rest of the fiscal year.
The White House has said, the president has said he would veto this. It probably wouldn't even get that far. I don't even think it would get down the hall behind me to the Senate. It wouldn't get passed there.
But what Republicans are trying to do is to say, look, at least we're trying. That's on the policy level. On the political level, they don't want to get the blame if there is a shutdown, and they're trying to make as many moves as they can to show that they're doing what they can to avoid a shutdown.
Democrats -- it was very intense on the House floor, Randi. Democrats were around there saying if you really meant it, you would just pass an extension, keeping the government running without any spending cuts at all -- Randi.
KAYE: And Dana, do we know exactly how far apart the two sides are when it comes to money?
BASH: Very interesting. Going into this White House meeting, which is going on as we speak -- the House Speaker is there, the Senate majority leader meeting with the president, still, over at the White House. Everything seemed to be much better last night when they came out after the very late meeting last night. And today, things devolved pretty remarkably, Randi.
The answer to that question is, it depends on who you ask, because they are having major differences over what their differences are. That's probably pretty annoying to people out there watching and saying, can't they get their act together? But it is what's going on.
Democratic sources tell me that they actually have a tentative agreement at about $34.5 billion. And Republicans, including the Speaker, himself, has said, don't listen to that, we don't have an agreement at all.
But the big issues are really, maybe more than the overall number, is what exactly they're going to cut, because there are real philosophical differences over what programs and agencies to cut, and also policy differences. We've been talking about it all day, things like the EPA, the fact that the Republicans said that they would not be able to regulate greenhouse gases. And maybe most importantly, the biggest hot-button issue is abortion, that Republicans had in their bill to completely eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood because of their abortion dealings that they have, and Democrats say that that's just the wrong way to go.
KAYE: All right. Dana Bash, thank you.
We want to take you now to the White House, where Ed Henry is standing by.
Ed, I know that these talks have been continuing now in the Oval Office for, what, about the last 90 minutes or so --
ED HENRY, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
KAYE: -- between the president and Speaker Boehner and the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid.
Any sign of any movement there?
HENRY: No movement at all, Randi. They've been in there well over an hour, as you say, in the Oval Office. Vice President Biden joining President Obama as well. You remember this same group got together 8:45 p.m. Eastern time last night. They met for almost 90 minutes then, deep into the night. Then I'm told senior White House aides along with some top congressional aides, they kept meeting until the middle of the night -- 2:00, 3:00 in the morning, trying to push it forward. As you heard from Dana, they're not quite there yet.
But the fact these leaders have not emerged from the Oval Office just yet could be -- and I stress, could be -- a good sign just in the fact they are still talking. If the leaders had come out rather quickly without a deal, it would suggest things were heading south pretty fast. But the fact they are at least still behind closed doors, still trying to work this out.
You know, the posture from Jay Carney, the White House press secretary a short time ago at his daily briefing was basically that they feel here inside the administration that the American people are watching this and are seeing it. A lot of games playing going on between the parties when they're worried about the economy and their paychecks, worried about rising gas prices. And this is another distraction, frankly, the American people do not need right now. Nevertheless, both sides still struggling to come together on a deal, Randi.
KAYE: I'm sure you've asked. I'm curious what the answer is. What is the Democratic objection to this one-week extension the Republicans have put forward?
HENRY: It's a good question because even as the president issued a veto threat for that short-term bill, he did indicate in a statement, the administration did, he would sign another short-term bill if it was quote/unquote, "clean," in the sense that it did not have legislative riders dealing with abortion or any other side issues as Dana was reporting on.
So what they are narrowly focused on here at the White House is they say they would veto the short-term bill that only funds the Pentagon because they don't believe it's fair to just sort of fund one area. You have to do it all at once in a long-term package. That that's what the president is pushing for so we don't continue to do this week by week by week as we've seen for at least a few months now.
Get this done through the end of the year. Then what they're hoping inside the White House is that once you get this short to medium-range budget deal, you can start attacking the long-term debt. Medicare, Medicaid. All these big-ticket items both sides have done little to deal with so far, Randi.
KAYE: Ed Henry, watching it all on the White House lawn there. Thank you, Ed.
HENRY: Thank you.
KAYE: Well, some Tea Party members actually welcome a shutdown. At this rally, take a look in Washington yesterday, they held up signs saying cut spending or shut it down. One anti-tax activist issued this challenge to Republicans just a few days ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KATHY DIRR, ANTI-TAX ACTIVIST: I say to the Republican leadership, take off your lace panties, stop being noodle backs. Take a strong, bold, unwavering stand for and with the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: And their cries are not falling upon deaf ears. Indiana Republican Congressman Mike Pence agrees with them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE PENCE (R), INDIANA: If liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and shut down the government instead of making a small down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say, shut it down.
AUDIENCE: Cut it or shut it! Cut it or shut it! Cut it or shut it! Cut it or shut it! Cut it or shut it!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: We're going to take you back now in Dana Bash in Washington who is watching the vote on the house floor. Dana, you have an update?
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it looks like the vote has more than enough votes to pass. I'm getting in my ear it's 247 yays. That is, again, more than enough votes to pass. So, looks like the House has -- one-week extension to keep the government running past the deadline. That, of course, is midnight tomorrow night.
But again, we should underscore this is a bill that is put forward by House Republicans that has $12 billion in cuts. And those are cuts that Democrats over behind me in the Senate and at the White House, the president, himself, has said it's unacceptable. And if they want to keep the government running, they should just pass a measure with no cuts and keep the government running.
Now, on that note, I want to show you something, Randi. This is something that we got from a source, and it is a notice. This is one of many notices that are going out right here on Capitol Hill today warning people that they could be furloughed and will be furloughed.
This actually is a furlough notice. I want to read you just one line. It says, "Because your services are not needed for the orderly suspensions of operations and you're not engaged in one of the exempted functions, you are being placed on furlough effective, Saturday April 9, 2011." So again, this is going out just protectively in case the government does shut down, all across the Capitol to lots and lots of staffers. And even those who are going to be working, even those who are not furloughed and have to come in because the Congress is going to be in session or because of security, they're not going to get paid.
KAYE: Yes. The so-called essential employees. All right. Dana Bash, keep us up to date there. Thank you.
BASH: Thank you.
KAYE: So, how do you feel about the government potentially not giving you the services you pay for all because lawmakers can't seem to agree on a budget? Next, we'll talk to the people who put these lawmakers into office. People just like you. The American people. That's right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: Breaking news now. That meeting at the Oval Office with the president has adjourned. Let's listen in.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: -- sincerely believe that we can get to an agreement, but we are not there yet. I did ask the president to sign the stop gap measure that we passed to fund our troops and to keep our government open. And I did express to the president my disappointment that he suggested he would veto that bill. Our goal is to reduce spending in order to lead to a better environment for job creation in America. I do believe that it's important that we take this moment and get the largest spending cuts possible that will help our economy and help job creators back to creating jobs.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), SENATE MAJORITY LEADER: We'll see you back here at 7:00. The negotiators are going to start again at 3:00 today to see if they can work through the issues. We had a frank discussion. We had the necessary parties there to move toward a finish line. I'm disappointed we haven't been able to get something done to this point, but I am pleased that we're still working on getting there.
In a matter of a little more than 24 hours, unless we work something out, the government will shut down. Essential service to the government will shut down. Security operations of this country and on and on with the things that will really be detrimental, Including as we've learned from an economic report this morning, just a shutdown of no matter how long it is will be .02 percent drop in our domestic product.
So, we're going to continue to work to get this done. It's not easy to do, but it's doable. And as I said, we don't have a lot of time to do that. We'll get back here at 7:00 and we hope that time when we come out we'll have something done. If not, we'll of course have to look forward to a bad day tomorrow which is a government shutdown.
KAYE: There you have it. You've been listen to speaker John Boehner, Senate majority leader Harry Reid on the White House lawn there. They've been meeting with the president and vice president, actually, for about the last hour and 40 minutes or so.
Still no deal on the budget, it turns out. Both expressed disappointment. They had a very frank discussion. The negotiators are going back to the table at 3:00 p.m. in about 20 minutes. We'll hear from them again at 7:00 p.m. tonight. So, of course, we'll have that for you here on CNN.
Just a reminder, we're devoting this entire hour of CNN to a potential government shutdown which we've been following. The House just passed a one week stop-gap spending bill. And right now, we're going to talk to the people who a government shutdown would really affect. You, the American people.
We're actually at two locations. Liberty Island in New York. And outside CNN headquarters in Atlanta. Let's start in Atlanta this hour, where Glena and Todd are joining me. Glena, let me ask you first. You could hear what the speaker and the Senate leader were saying. What are your greatest concerns about a shutdown?
GLENA BOSTON, SOCIAL WORKER: My greatest concerns are they just don't understand how severe this is. Even the statement of they're coming back at 3:00 -- I'm a child protective service social worker. When we have big meetings, we stay and we work things out until we get done. It's like it's on their time and they just don't have a grasp as to what the American people are really going through.
KAYE: And how do you think a shutdown would affect you personally?
BOSTON: Personally, it would affect my close friends that are still serving in the military. I work for a county agency in North Carolina. And all my entire employment is paid by federal funding. And it's like this is a trickle down, and it's like the American people who are working really hard just don't know how -- they don't know how -- we're going to be out of work. We're not going to be able to give services. I'm not going to be able to work with the children I work with.
KAYE: Right. And Todd, I'm curious --
TODD SADLER, CONCERNED ABOUT A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN: I'm just quite disgusted with the possibility of a looming shutdown. We're talking about a million federal employees and this -- our fiscal year comes and goes the same time each year. It's not a surprise to them. So, they need to be preparing now for October 1, 2011, for the next fiscal year. This is ridiculous. Stop playing partisan politics. Let's get down to business.
KAYE: All right. Glena, Todd, we appreciate it. We want to take you to Liberty Island in New York, where Case is joining me. Case, you actually had to change your vacation because of this potential shutdown?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Richelle with an R. Gotcha, gotcha. How much time back?
KAYE: Case, can you hear me? This is Randi.
CASE VAANDERING, TOURIST: Yes. We started scheduling this vacation about three, four weeks ago. But with a looming -- yes, yes, Randi. I can't hear her.
KAYE: Go on, you can continue.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's wrong?
VAANDERING: She started asking a question.
KAYE: Hmm. Okay. Case, can you hear me? If you can, tell me what you think of a possible shutdown?
VAANDERING: Well, the possible shutdown, especially our vacation, we went through Washington, D.C., and now we're at New York at Liberty Island. Was the parks going to be open for us when we got here? And going week by week, it's not a very good or comfortable situation to be in.
KAYE: All right. Well, we appreciate that. Sorry about some of that technical difficulty. There's a bit of a delay. But that Statue of Liberty behind you there certainly not lost when we think about what's happening here in this country. You just heard what Americans think about this possible shutdown. But what are they saying about it overseas? Well, we're taking you live to Carnaby Street in London to see how this is all playing out there.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON ASSELIN, IREPORTER: Shut it down for a little while. Let's see how much money we can save. You know, it wouldn't be a bad idea for a lot of these politicians to take a week's pay and give it to the government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: One of our many iReporters. Keep those iReports coming.
So, what do folks overseas think about this possible shutdown? Does your average Londoner even know about it or care about it? We want to bring in our Becky Anderson. She joins us from a very busy Carnaby Street there in London.
Becky, what are people telling you? Has anything like this ever happened in Britain?
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Let me tell you, Randi, the annual overdraft addiction is old news to the people in the UK. Obama may think he's deferring treatment as it were until the U.S. elections. Maybe coming up with something at that point. But British lawmakers have been fighting budget cuts for months now. And despite sit-ins and protests, they're going ahead with us austerity measures.
So, for those Brits who thought they could escape the doom and gloom and take a trip to the United States, they might be bitterly disappointed. I'm told the U.S. embassy here, processes between 300 and 600 visa applications a day. And if there's a shutdown, they'll be on emergency services. So effectively, bang goes, those visas and bang goes those trips.
That's effectively the impact of a U.S. shutdown here in the UK. But we still thought we'd get out and about and find out what people really thought. This is what they said.
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ANDERSON: Do you care about the U.S. government closing down this evening?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
ANDERSON: They can't agree on anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have they ever?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How I have not heard about this? When did this happen?
ANDERSON: Been watching CNN?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been in London all day. That's probably why.
ANDERSON: Do you like government?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not really. I don't think I should really say the words I feel about it.
ANDERSON: Do you care?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: She was Italian.
Now, listen, people are going about their business effectively, Randi, at this point. But we did find one man who had something a little bit more intelligent, as it were, to say. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn't seem right based upon what's been happening over the last 20 years. Obviously the financial deficit is a big problem around the world. Wherever that was to be the case, in America, I doubt whether it will actually come to that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: One place that might have more sympathy for what's going on in the states is Belgium. They hold the record for the longest nonfunctioning government as it were. About a year now. We found some Belgian girls on the street, on Carnaby Street earlier on today. This is what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Didn't change for us. We didn't know this change.
ANDERSON: So, you're better of without government?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes!
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Actually, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: They think you might be better off with a government that just sort of goes to bed for a few days and sorts itself out. But as I say, you know, seriously, people here really quite unaware of the story in the States. It does affect them, as I say, a very small basis, with the work the U.S. embassy does here with visas. But ultimately, as we fight our own austerity measures in the UK, we're sort of just getting on with things. Randi?
KAYE: Yes. But the international perspective, Becky, is certainly interesting and eye opening. Becky Anderson there on Carnaby Street. Thank you.
All right. So, you heard Becky talk about Belgium. Canada's government closed for a couple months, too. The year, 2009. Prime minister Steven Harper shut down parliament for two months to, quote, "recalibrate." During that time the budget was tabled as well as dozens of government bills killed.
We are getting a ton of comments on our blog. You can join the conversation about the government shutdown on the blog. Just go to CNN.com/ali. Or you can post your thoughts on Ali's Facebook and Twitter pages. And you can do the same at my Facebook and Twitter pages as well. We still have about ten minutes left in our special. So, we'd love to get more comments from you on this possible government shutdown.
You can also share your video stories with us by going to CNNireport.com. Keep it here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAYE: We're glad you're with us. We're devoting this hour to the prospect and impact of a federal government shutdown. Not every single federal function would stop. And that's where our "Big Breakdown" today comes in.
Federal monuments, museums and parks. Well, those would actually be closed as of Saturday. Another blow to our spring and summer travel plans. Passports and visa applications, yes, those would be not possible to get anymore. They would pile up, really.
But don't worry, though. Air traffic controllers - yep. That gets a thumbs up. They will keep working. As well the president. Yes, he will still be working in the Oval Office. Congress as well will also be working. Homeland Security also on the job. Military operations. The wars. Those will not be interrupted. But troops, well, they may have to wait for their paychecks. So, that gets a big thumbs down from us.
And some of us might have to wait for our tax refunds. Seems many IRS workers, yes, they're going to be nonessential. So that would be bad. Thumbs down.
And don't blame the mail. The postal service will actually be earning its keep and will not shut down. So, that's a thumbs up. Neither will the Fed. The Federal Reserve gets a thumbs up. Made a profit last year you may recall of $82 billion, which is much more than the spending cuts now being argued about. More on our special coverage and a possible government shutdown coming up including would it mean -- what will it mean, actually -- for NASA?
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM MARTIN, COMMERCE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE: Going to be difficult. I have a child, a young son. And my wife is also working in Commerce. So, we'll be without both of our incomes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE: So, what about the next shuttle mission? And those now aboard the international space station? What potential impact would a government shutdown have on them and NASA in general? Chad Myers is here with the answers.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they would be considered essential.
KAYE: Well, that's good. You can't leave them up there, right?
MYERS: Oh, no! You guys will be fine. You'll be able to power yourself. No, of course, they are essential personnel.
What is a nonessential NASA personnel really mean? The researchers. If you have a bunch of data flying through from spacecraft and you're looking at planets, we can stop looking at the planets because we're not going to make any big changes by one week looking at that. So, those analyzers. The public relations department. They're not going to be able to talk back and forth to us anymore, at least for a while. And then, like, the cafeteria workers, the staff, and really the people that are repairing the shuttle for it to be going back up the next time. Right? That could slow down. A couple weeks. We may not get the shuttle off on time.
Essential employees, that would be astronauts included. And keeping those astronauts safe. On the ground, wherever it might be. And basically healthy in space as well. You don't think about that. All this information comes back from the astronauts that are up there on the ISS. They have to figure out whether they're healthy, doing their exercises up there. And so, the personnel operating the ISS still will be an essential employee.
And engineers and technicians operating any NASA spacecraft. You don't think about this. But there many spacecrafts out there just flying around looking at Venus, look Mars. We saw those pictures of Mercury not too long ago. You can't just, like, take your hands off the controls and say fend for yourself.
KAYE: But isn't it amazing, because you know, when people think of a shutdown, they probably don't think about NASA.
MYERS: What does shutdown mean when somebody is still going to get paid? That's just kind of a half a shutdown. Right? I don't know! It's like, OK, it's essential or not.
KAYE: All right. Appreciate it, Chad. Helping us understand all that. Thanks for joining us for this hour.
That will do it for me. But we really do appreciate hearing your voices and what you think how a possible government shutdown might affect you and your loved ones and your family. We're glad to be able to bring that to you.
CNN NEWSROOM continues with Don Lemon in today for Brooke Baldwin.
