Minnesota lawmakers lead tour groups and other scenes from a shut down U.S. Capitol

WASHINGTON — About the only time the Capitol rotunda is as empty as it was Tuesday afternoon is late in the evening, or maybe in the extra-secure environment after a State of the Union address.

But there was hardly any foot traffic in the rotunda Tuesday, nor in the Capitol Visitors Center or the queues were tourists usually line up for their tours of the building. The Capitol and much of its staff — as with every national monument and Smithsonian museum on the National Mall — were among the highest-profile early victims of a federal government shutdown.

Tourists weren’t completely left out, and some lucky visitors even got an exclusive, high-profile tour guide. I spotted Republican Rep. John Kline leading a group through a tunnel connecting the Capitol with House office buildings, showing them a wall filled with art from high school students. Minutes later, I rode a tram with Michele Bachmann, who was guiding a couple from Eagan through the building. Then there was Rep. Erik Paulsen, outside the House chamber with a tour group of his own.

Later that evening, those three backed a GOP plan to re-open certain segments of the government while lawmakers worked to fund everything else. The bills (plan E, if you will) failed under procedural rules requiring a two-thirds vote, and we’re back where we were Tuesday morning — with the government shut down and with no clear resolution on the horizon.

Signs taped to Senate doors

A smattering of senators on the third floor of the Hart Senate Office Building had taped signs to their doors declaring their offices closed through the shutdown.

Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken were open, but Franken’s website warned: “Because of the government shutdown, his office is unable to conduct most constituent services as many federal agencies are closed.” Only staffers essential for fulfilling legislative duties are on the job, so constituent casework is taking a backseat.

Also shut down: Franken’s weekly Mahnomin porridge breakfast with constituents, which his office called off this Wednesday (and, apparently, indefinitely).

But the Senate, like the House, was in session Tuesday, and after voting down a GOP conference committee plan Tuesday morning, senators spent much of the day arguing about how to resolve the government shutdown and the merits of the Affordable Care Act.

Klobuchar went to the floor Tuesday to spell out the type of economic problems a protracted government shutdown could bear: It could reduce the GDP, she said, and could hurt big Minnesota economic sectors like tourism (national parks are closed) and medical research (most at the National Institutes of Health are out of a job as well).

“My colleagues in the House like to talk a big game about how uncertainty is hindering real economic growth. I believe uncertainty hinders economic growth,” she said. “So it is quite ironic that they are now creating this economic uncertainty and are willing to threaten our economy on a political gamble.”

Further shutdown reading

• You probably saw this story elsewhere, but if you missed it: A group of World War II veterans decided they’d disregard the shutdown-mandated gates blocking access to their National Mall memorial on Tuesday. This upset no one.
• The Minnesota National Guard announced its furloughs: more than 1,200 civilian technicians are off the job until the shutdown lifts. Active-duty military personnel remain on the job, and are actually among the few government workers who will get paid during the shutdown.
• The New York Times looks at the Republican hard-liners who will oppose any shutdown bill that doesn’t go after Obamacare. Meanwhile, the Washington Examiner has an excellent piece looking at how this group of the GOP can dictate so much of the action in the House. 
• And, on the other side, the Washington Post has a list of Republicans who say they’re ready to vote for a bill whether it has Obamacare provisions or not. Paulsen, who said last week he’d be willing to back a clean bill, is on the list; the Strib’s Kevin Diaz published an interview with him on Tuesday.
• Several lawmakers have said they’re foregoing pay during the shutdown, among them, according to WCCO’s Pat Kessler, Bachmann and Paulsen. Klobuchar, Franken and Rep. Tim Walz told WCCO they plan to donate theirs.
• The Atlantic wonders how the shutdown will end, and offers up some ideas …
• … But senators and aides warn the shutdown may persist for several weeks, pushing up to a deadline for raising the limit on federal debt.
• But at least there’s free beer, right?

Devin Henry can be reached at dhenry@minnpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: @dhenry