DC to stay open during government shutdown

WASHINGTON - D.C. is open and ready to pick up the slack. That is the message from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser as the city got ready for a government shutdown.

Unlike other federal shutdowns in the past, the District government will continue functioning as usual thanks to congressional action. But the shutdown will still sting, especially for those who own businesses that benefit from the federal workforce.

There are 126 national parks in the Washington D.C. and the park within Dupont Circle is one of them. Typically, cleanup is done by the federal government, but in a shutdown, D.C. is stepping up to clean and remove litter.

With two trash trucks and the National Mall behind her on Friday, Mayor Bowser urged Congress to avoid a shutdown and made it clear D.C. workers would keep the nation's capital clean if the federal government closes down.

"Leadership for us in Washington D.C. is about stepping up and not shutting down," she said. "A shutdown for us is bad for D.C. residents, the residents of this region."

At Gandel's Liquors on Pennsylvania Avenue located a few blocks away from the U.S. Capitol, a shutdown would hit them hard. Raj Bhuller said most of her business is federal employees stopping in for a bottle of wine on the way home.

"If they don't get paid, they are not going to buy any stuff," said Bhuller. "And even if they get paid later, they are not going to come back and pay us back."

D.C. will likely have to shoulder some of the cost too. City employees could be asked to work extra overtime hours. The District will likely get paid back after the shutdown.

All city service will remain in place during a federal shutdown - that even includes parking enforcement.