Military towns around the nation have been bracing for the worst since the federal government shutdown left commissaries at all U.S. military installations closed and thousands of active-duty servicemembers, veterans and civilian defense department workers unsure about their military benefits.
Many of these towns depend on the military bases they house. For instance, Fayetteville, N.C., is home to Fort Bragg, and with 57,000 servicemembers, thousands of veterans and more than 200 defense contractors, it's one of the most populated military installations in the nation. More than 7,000 civilian workers were furloughed at the large southern base Oct. 1, and the shutdown combined with the earlier sequester and other defense reductions have left the town faltering financially, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The news source reported that Fort Bragg funnels $25 million into the town's economy each year, while the greater Fayetteville area relies on the base for 38 percent of its gross domestic product. Street sweeping, maintenance repairs and other functions have also ceased at the base, according to the news source.
Although the town has been protected from the recession, many business owners told the news outlet that they were finally feeling the effects of an economic downturn.
"It'll definitely hurt us," local business owner Jose Valentin told the news outlet. "And the longer it goes on, the worse it's going to get."