Shutdown affecting local sites

Oct 6

Written By HVNY

*The Home of FDR in Hyde Park. photo by niki@hvny.info*

This weekend is Eleanor Roosevelt’s birthday. Usually, there would have been cake and a gathering at the FDR Historic Site in Hyde Park, but because of the government shutdown, there might not be any cake.

There are also no tours, no special events, no exhibitions, and no behind-the-scene peeks into ER’s true place of respite, just down the road at Val-Kill.

Despite tours, special events and services being shuttered at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic Site and the Eleanor Roosevelt Historic Site, along with Vanderbilt Mansion, all in Hyde Park, as well as the Martin Van Buren site in Kinderhook, the grounds are open to the public, according to Amy Bracewell, the regional National Park Service Superintendent, though the parking lots for these sites are closed, so residents would have to park elsewhere, like the nearby shopping plaza, and walk in.

No amenities including bathrooms or other services will be available.

“All special events and activities on the grounds have been canceled until further notice,” Bracewell said in a statement. “Once we have a budget and resume operations, we will make a determination about future special events at that time.”

Reps respond to shutdown

According to Representative Mike Lawler (R, NY-17), “Veterans’ services such as health care, prescriptions, and benefits continue, but programs like GI Bill call centers, Veteran Readiness and Employment, and cemetery services are paused. Active-duty military and essential defense personnel will continue working, but paychecks will be delayed until funding is restored.

“Food assistance programs like SNAP will continue for now, though a prolonged shutdown could cause disruptions, and WIC funding may run out quickly. Passport and visa processing will continue, but expect longer wait times, especially if agencies are located in buildings that close. Mail delivery is operating as usual, but new FHA housing loans, SBA loans, and National Flood Insurance policies will be paused. Tours of the Capitol, White House, and FBI are canceled, and national parks and memorials may have limited services.”

The congressman, who represents Rockland, Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties in the lower Hudson Valley, said that he “requested that my own congressional salary be withheld if the shutdown continues. Families, workers, and our military shouldn’t pay the price for political gridlock, and neither should members of Congress.”

https://lawler.house.gov/services/government-shutdown.htm

Rep. Pat Ryan (D, NY-18) has also said that he will not accept a paycheck during the shutdown, and has mobilized his C.A.R.E.S. van to help constituents with concerns about the shutdown. “Whether you need help navigating your Social Security benefits, are worried about losing access to your health care, or have questions about the major slashes in federal grants and how to find new funding, my team is all-hands-on-deck to help however we can in every corner of the Hudson Valley.” https://patryan.house.gov/media/press-releases/amid-fight-over-government-funding-congressman-pat-ryan-continues-delivering