By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Because of the federal government shutdown, Hays resident Kathay Johnson is in a holding pattern as she and her husband try to purchase a new home.
The women Kathay and her husband are buying their home from had bought the house through a Rural Development program. The seller needs to clear the sale through that federal department before it can be completed, but the department is closed.
“We have agreed on everything else,” Johnson said. “We are just hanging out waiting until everything opens back up. It is super, super annoying and bad timing.”
The Johnsons moved to Hays in the fall from Boulder County, Colorado, with the express desire to purchase their first home.
“It is a huge reason why we came out here,” she said. “We got to the point where we were really excited. We were like, ‘Wow, it is actually going to happen. We’re going to do it.’ And now we are just sitting here watching the news everyday, waiting for this stuff to end.”
While they are waiting for this final paperwork to go through, they are living with relatives in Hays and have most of their possessions in storage.
Johnson’s husband is an artist and all of his supplies are storage. His work is at a standstill until they can get moved into the new house, which is currently sitting vacant.
Johnson said she is very thankful her family is letting them longer than anticipated.
“We are kind of cramped, and I am sure they would like their house back at some point,” she said.
Despite her frustration, Johnson said she still sees herself as lucky. She has a friend who lives in Kansas City and is federal employee who is currently furloughed without pay.
“If there was a good answer for it,” she said of the shutdown, “we wouldn’t be in this situation. But [Congress] is still getting paid. It would be nice if they weren’t still getting paid, then it would be fixed much faster. I get why we are halted.”
The Rural Development housing program is a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which has been shuttered by the shutdown. No one answered when Hays Post called the Hays office.
The USDA posted the following message on its website.
The shutdown has not closed all federal services locally. Some employees are working without pay and funding for other departments was passed before the shutdown.
The Hays Regional Airport has both full- and part-time TSA employees on staff to screen boarding passengers.
Those employees are working, although without pay.
“We have had no adverse impact on operations or passengers at the Hays Regional Airport,” Ovid Seifers, airport manager, said.
He said FAA staff member have also been working at the airport despite the shutdown.
“They have responded as needed,” Seifers said.
The closest office for the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Kansas City is closed because of the shutdown. However, Kathy Nelson, executive director of the Hays Housing Authority, said payments for Section 8 housing have been funded through February.
If the shutdown goes beyond February, Nelson said she did not know what the status of funding might be. She said the local housing authority has not had any questions from program participants yet, but she said she had concerns about funding if the shutdown would extend past February.
The U.S. Corps of Engineers is a federally funded. However, its budget is under the Department of Defense. Congress approved that budget before the shutdown. All operations at Wilson Lake and Kanopolis lakes are proceeding as normal, said Dan Hays, operations project manager at Wilson and Kanopolis lakes.
“Although it is somewhat comforting for us, our thoughts go out to federal partners who have not been so fortunate,” Hays said.
John Pyle, veterans service representative, said veterans have been able to receive services and benefits.
“There have been no issues,” he said. “Everything is being processed. Veterans are still able to go VA clinics. They are still able to file claims. I have not heard of any veterans who are not receiving their disability benefits.”