If the government shuts down on March 5 over unresolved differences in a stopgap spending bill, the impact may be felt more by the families of aged veterans than on government workers or military troops.
That's because the Department of Veterans Affairs office responsible for burying veterans will close up shop if the cash stops coming, putting a halt to the internments of thousands of deceased vets. Just how many would be effected is hard to guess – it would depend on how long a shutdown dragged on. According to a Congressional Budget Office projection, the VA could be burying up to 100,000 veterans in 2011.