National parks are closed. IRS call centers have no staff. Countless government websites have been taken down.
Yet despite these changes -- which range from inconveniences to major headaches -- a number of not-so-essential government operations are still up and running.
Here are a few that have evaded the partial government shutdown:
The Denali Commission:
You've probably never heard of The Denali Commission. But the tiny Alaska-based economic development agency gained some notoriety after it emerged that the group's inspector general was petitioning Congress to de-fund it.
But guess what agency survived the "shutdown?" According to its own contingency plan, because the commission's staffers are paid under the prior year's budget, all 14 employees are exempt from furlough, and "reporting to work."
White House Twitter:
Right as Congress missed the deadline last week to pass a spending bill, first lady Michelle Obama's office informed its Twitter followers that "due to Congress's failure to pass legislation to fund the government," updates to the official first lady Twitter account would be limited.
But the White House Twitter account is alive and well.
The account has blasted out a series of tweets calling on Congress to end the budget impasse.
'Let's Move':
While a number of government websites have been temporarily taken offline, and the first lady's Twitter account has been largely abandoned, not so for Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign.
The website for the first lady's healthy-living initiative remains operational -- though it doesn't appear to have been updated much since late September. The top of the site displays the message: "Cheers to water!"
Park Rangers on Patrol:
Despite national parks and monuments being shuttered across the country for lack of funds, the National Park Service is devoting considerable resources to putting up barricades and patrolling them.
An innkeeper along the Blue Ridge Parkway who was forced to close his business due to the partial shutdown told FoxNews.com that park rangers have set up a "24/7 blockade" outside his inn -- to prevent would-be customers from coming in.
Obama Campaign Stop:
President Obama canceled a long-planned trip to Asia over the budget impasse.
But he nevertheless ventured outside the Beltway last week for a rally in nearby Rockville, Md., to pressure Republicans to pass a budget bill.
Patent Office:
Happen to invent something during the budget stalemate?
Good news. The United States Patent and Trademark Office is open for business. According to the office, it's using fees from the prior year to keep running, and should be able to for roughly four weeks.
IRS Taking, But Not Giving:
IRS call centers are closed, and the IRS is not issuing refunds during the partial shutdown.
The agency, though, will gladly accept tax payments during that time.
The IRS says in a statement on its website: "The IRS will accept and process all tax returns with payments, but will be unable to issue refunds during this time."
Yet despite these changes -- which range from inconveniences to major headaches -- a number of not-so-essential government operations are still up and running.
Here are a few that have evaded the partial government shutdown:
The Denali Commission:
You've probably never heard of The Denali Commission. But the tiny Alaska-based economic development agency gained some notoriety after it emerged that the group's inspector general was petitioning Congress to de-fund it.
But guess what agency survived the "shutdown?" According to its own contingency plan, because the commission's staffers are paid under the prior year's budget, all 14 employees are exempt from furlough, and "reporting to work."
White House Twitter:
Right as Congress missed the deadline last week to pass a spending bill, first lady Michelle Obama's office informed its Twitter followers that "due to Congress's failure to pass legislation to fund the government," updates to the official first lady Twitter account would be limited.
But the White House Twitter account is alive and well.
The account has blasted out a series of tweets calling on Congress to end the budget impasse.
'Let's Move':
While a number of government websites have been temporarily taken offline, and the first lady's Twitter account has been largely abandoned, not so for Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign.
The website for the first lady's healthy-living initiative remains operational -- though it doesn't appear to have been updated much since late September. The top of the site displays the message: "Cheers to water!"
Park Rangers on Patrol:
Despite national parks and monuments being shuttered across the country for lack of funds, the National Park Service is devoting considerable resources to putting up barricades and patrolling them.
An innkeeper along the Blue Ridge Parkway who was forced to close his business due to the partial shutdown told FoxNews.com that park rangers have set up a "24/7 blockade" outside his inn -- to prevent would-be customers from coming in.
Obama Campaign Stop:
President Obama canceled a long-planned trip to Asia over the budget impasse.
But he nevertheless ventured outside the Beltway last week for a rally in nearby Rockville, Md., to pressure Republicans to pass a budget bill.
Patent Office:
Happen to invent something during the budget stalemate?
Good news. The United States Patent and Trademark Office is open for business. According to the office, it's using fees from the prior year to keep running, and should be able to for roughly four weeks.
IRS Taking, But Not Giving:
IRS call centers are closed, and the IRS is not issuing refunds during the partial shutdown.
The agency, though, will gladly accept tax payments during that time.
The IRS says in a statement on its website: "The IRS will accept and process all tax returns with payments, but will be unable to issue refunds during this time."
