The entrance to the world-famous caverns at Carlsbad Caverns National Park was shuttered to visitors after the federal government shut down Wednesday. A message splayed across many federal homepages, including state national forests, read: "The Radical Left Democrats shutdown the government."

While the exclaimers — which scholars say tread a legal gray area — and partial closures at national parks and monuments may be the most obvious sign of a shutdown for the general public, many federal government employees will go unpaid until the standoff in Congress comes to an end.

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