National parks across Georgia among places closed by government shutdown

ATLANTA — Wednesday was the first full business day since the partial government shutdown began Friday.

The budget battle between President Donald Trump and Congress is at a stalemate over funding for the border wall. On Wednesday, Trump signaled no end in sight for the shutdown, saying he’d do “whatever it takes” to get funding for a border wall.

[READ: Government shutdown: What is closed; will you get your SS check, SNAP, WIC?]

The impacts of the shutdown are far-reaching, impacting around 800,000 federal workers, but the most visible sign may be the closure of many national parks, including several here in Georgia.

Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant was at the King Center on Wednesday, where the news that it was closed caught many people off guard.

“I’m very heartbroken,” said Dianne McZeal, who traveled from Louisiana to visit the King Center for the first time. “I had to see this. It’s been in my life for so long now, I really wanted to see it in person.”

When McZeal arrived, Ebenezer Baptist Church and the visitor’s center were both locked. Tourists could still reach King’s crypt and the eternal flame.

“I think people will need to be more aware of the effects of, you know, when you hear stuff like that on television, sometimes you just walk past (and think), 'It’s not affecting me,' so on and so forth, but clearly this situation, this is unfortunate,” said Benjamin Tahan.

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Tahan said it’s unfortunate that there’s only so much the average American can do while elected leaders duke it out in Washington.

“I think it’s a pretty bad stain, a visible stain, you know, on our government,” he said.

Other tourists kept out of the sites are the players in Atlanta for the Peach Bowl.

A special ceremony on Thursday had to be moved because the shutdown.

While the shutdown was an inconvenience for tourists, for the thousands of federal workers in metro Atlanta, the stakes are a lot higher.

“We’re not going to have a paycheck, you know? We’re not going to pay our medicine bill, we’re not going to be able to pay our water bill, our light bill, our mortgage,” said Everett Kelley, with the Federal Employees Union. “It could create massive problems.”

Thousands locally are already feeling that pinch, from TSA screeners at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to federal district court workers to staffers at cabinet-level departments and agencies in the Sam Nunn Federal Center.

“It has a trickle-down effect that you don’t think your everyday life will be affected by it, but it is,” Kelley said.

Cox Media Group