"Now in its seventh day [Friday], the partial government shutdown is tightening its grip on federal agencies.

Set to run out of carryover funds tonight [Friday], EPA will soon close and send thousands of employees home without pay.

The Interior Department has pledged to keep national parks open but has struggled with mounting trash and locked bathrooms as they have been left unstaffed (see related story). And today, Smithsonian officials announced that all of its museums and the National Zoo will be shuttered on Jan. 2 unless a deal is reached.

Some others, like the Department of Energy, continue to chug along as their funding has already been approved by Congress."

Hannah Northey and Kevin Bogardus report for Greenwire December 28, 2018. [2]