Government shutdown’s impact trickles down to Rhode Island

January 8, 2019 5:30 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The effects of the government shutdown are beginning to trickle down to Rhode Island.

The visitors’ center at the Roger Williams National Park in Providence has been closed. Non-essential staff members with the U.S. Department of Justice are out of the office.

Local breweries that sell beer out-of-state are beginning to feel impacts, as well, including Foolproof Brewery in Pawtucket. Beer labels crossing state lines need to be approved by the federal government.

“Without that [approval], we’re pretty much in a holding pattern,” explained Nick Garrison, president of Foolproof Brewery.

Garrison says the federal approval process has taken his company anywhere from three weeks to two months. With the shutdown, he worries about the backlog of applications.

“With 7,000 breweries all trying to submit labels, that backlog is just building up and building up,” he explained.

Garrison hopes the shutdown doesn’t delay the release of his new beers. He hopes to release three to five new flavors this year and plans to submit his first label application in the next week.

“Every week that goes by that we’re not selling a new beer affect[s] our forecast for the year,” Garrison said. “The beer business is a very seasonal one and there are certain key months that you really need to get beers out for, so [the shutdown] is a concern.”