As of press time for this article, we had just entered day 27 of the longest-ever (partial) government shutdown. During the steady stream of media coverage on the shutdown over the past few weeks, some interesting/alarming reports have emerged, including:

• Nearly half of the Food and Drug Administration's workforce has been furloughed, pausing some domestic food inspections and putting Americans at risk of food-borne illnesses like E. coli, salmonella and norovirus. (Source: Time)
• Also on furlough, Transportation Security Administration agents – already some of the lowest-paid federal government employees with annual salaries of approximately $37,000 – are calling out sick at twice the usual rate at airports across the country, according to Bloomberg, leading to security lane consolidations in some locations. In Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 3, a passenger bypassed airport security with a firearm in her carry-on bag, sparking concerns about a decrease in overall air travel safety amid the shutdown.
• With staffing cut at the national parks, which have remained open during the shutdown, trash and waste has been accumulating. The parks have also been impacted by off-road vehicles, vandalism and hikers in restricted areas; soil, plants and animals in these areas are also at risk of long-term damage. (Source: National Geographic).

Speculations about worst-case-scenario outcomes of the shutdown – if it were to continue until late in the year, for example – have also been in the news, which include the grounding of flights due to mass TSA agent resignations, the halting of city bus services and dire impacts on the U.S. economy.