The 10 Saddest Government Shutdown Goodbye Notes

“Only websites necessary to protects lives and property will be maintained.”


You probably haven’t heard, but the US government has shut down as of midnight on Tuesday, and it won’t reopen until President Barack Obama and Congress quit bickering over Obamacare. Online, some government agencies appear to be in denial about the shutdown—the US Mint is still tweeting about coin laser imprints, and GOP.gov is running normally. But most of them are shuttering their Twitter feeds and websites, and leaving sad goodbye notes. Without further ado, here are 10 of the most tragic:

1. The National Zoo promises that someone’s still feeding the animals. But, sorry folks. No pandacam!

2. USA.gov wins the politeness and optimism award.

3. The US Geological Survey doesn’t beat around the bush.

4. The Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade informs us that, until his interns come back, small businesses are screwed.

5. US Fish and Wildlife Service leaves duck-stamp enthusiasts hanging.

6. The NSA isn’t updating its site, but it’s probably still spying on you!

7. The National Archives and Records Administration is basically in chaos.

 

8. The Government Accountability Office takes the opportunity to remind Americans that it won’t be doing any government oversight while the government is shut down.

9. The White House thumbs its nose at Republicans.

And one bonus non-governmental Tweet: (we initially labeled this as an official NASA account, but a NASA spokesperson clarified that it is not.)

10. The NASA’s Voyager 2 goes nihilistic.

 

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It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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