Federal shutdown starts with spirits as furloughed employees get discounts

Shutdown specials are a tradition in the nation’s capital, as restaurants offer discounts for furloughed federal employees, typically as long as they bring along a federal employee ID.

Capitol Lounge announced on Dec. 21 deals on its politically themed cocktails, which started along with the shutdown at 12:01 a.m. on Dec. 22 and will last until the government is funded.

[Read: 10 things to know about the government shutdown]

D.C. restaurateur Jose Andres also announced that all of his restaurants would offer free sandwiches for furloughed federal employees. Andres’ restaurant group owns more than a dozen restaurants in the greater D.C. area.

The Ugly Mug and newly opened bar Valor have begun an “Affordable Meal Act” that takes effect on Jan. 15 that offers $7 meals on Tuesdays. Owner Gaynor Jablonski said the original plan was to hearken back to the days of “intern nights” where beer was cheap and wings even cheaper. Jablonski said that if the shutdown extends into next week, federal employees could really start feeling the pressure and believes his “Affordable Meal Act,” which was conceived before the shutdown, could help ease the burden off furloughed workers.

As of writing, the partial federal shutdown continues as President Trump and Democrats clash on funding for the border wall with Trump scheduled to give a prime-time address to the nation discussing the shutdown.