Article by Marc Fisher and Holly Yeager
Government shutdown’s effects ripple out to more than the federal workforce
The reality of the government shutdown is finally hitting Americans who don’t get their paychecks from Uncle Sam.
In Pittsburgh, Tim Russell was on the cusp of living his dream: After two years of work, after lining up federal and state licenses and buying equipment to make rum, he started making his first batch last week. Then the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau closed shop. With no one to approve the “Maggie’s Farm Rum” labels, Russell can’t sell a drop.