What D.C. can expect as the government reopens
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As the government starts churning again after a historically long shutdown, there are still questions about how fast things can get back to normal around D.C.
Why it matters: Lingering delays are expected for everything from flights to museum reopenings and paychecks.
Here's what we know so far.
Paychecks
State of play: Some feds will start getting checks Saturday, with all of them expected to be paid by Nov. 19, an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson tells Axios.
- The timing and pay amounts will vary by agency due to differing payroll providers and schedules, per the spokesperson.
- Some agencies will cover the entire shutdown in their initial checks, while others will only cover the period between Oct. 1 and Nov. 1, with the rest coming in a regularly scheduled paycheck, says the spokesperson.
Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo
State of play: Reopening 21 museums and the zoo isn't as simple as turning on the Panda Cam (that's also still offline). The institutions will reopen on a rolling basis by Nov. 17.
- Opening Friday: The American History Museum, the Air and Space Museum on the National Mall and the Udvar-Hazy Center by Dulles.
- The National Gallery of Art will partially open Friday (including its Sculpture Garden), and fully reopen Saturday.
- Opening Saturday: The zoo (and its webcams!).
- More opening updates are posted here.
What's next: The zoo's annual holiday Zoo Lights will launch as planned on Nov. 21.
- No news yet on the National Gallery's ice rink, which typically opens around the same time.
The National Mall and parks
State of play: The Mall was open during the shutdown, though services and facilities were impacted. The Washington Monument remains closed as of Thursday, with updates TBA.
- The National Mall Gateway, a digital resource for visitors, can be used in the open-air memorials.
Flights
State of play: Expect more delays. Earlier this week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the FAA won't lift its restrictions until enough air traffic controllers are back to work.
- The FAA is freezing flight restrictions at major airports at 6% — including Dulles, DCA and BWI — instead of raising the cap on Friday to 10% as planned.
Meanwhile, DCA is among a dozen U.S. airports where private and general aviation flights are prohibited through the end of the year.