The government shut down  nine days ago and Congress is still at a stalemate. Here are some issues the country has faced over the past week.

Crates of Contaminated Chicken Hit California:
On Tuesday morning, 278 American citizens became ill with salmonella poisoning after consuming Foster Farms chicken, according to the Food Safety and Inspection Service. 18 states were affected; however California was hit the hardest. Foster Farms has refused to take responsibility for the outbreak, Fox 26 KMPH reports, and the FDA is not able to institute a recall because of the government shutdown.

“During the lapse in appropriations, FDA will not be conducting routine domestic or international inspections of food facilities,” Steven Immergut, the FDA’s assistant commissioner for public affairs, said in an email Tuesday.

Soldiers Will Get Pay:
Members of the military will continue to serve and will get paid, President Barack Obama said in a video statement last Tuesday. A last second measure passed hours before the government shut down, insuring soldiers will get pay from the federal government, Time  Magazine reports. Many civilian employees were furloughed initially after the shutdown, but most were called back to work as of last Saturday, the Department of Defense reports.

President Obama tried to ease the worries of American servicemen through the video by assuring them that they will receive their pay. He went further and blamed Congress for the shutdown. “Those of you in uniform will remain on your normal duty status. The threats to our national security have not changed, and we need you to be ready for any contingency,” said President Obama.

Alameda County Is Doing Fine…For Now:
Richard Valle, a supervisor of Alameda County sent out an informational email regarding the shutdown, stating that county services have not been affected yet, but will in the future.

“States have some ability to provide funding to keep programs running for a few days or even weeks,” Valle said.  “However, at some point, there could be the need to cut services.  This is a highly fluid situation that could easily change once Congress takes action.”

If the government shutdown lasts longer than expected, the county’s primary concerns are to mitigate impacts on federally funded programs to low-income residents, such as continuing food stamp services. Valle is not aware how many of the 9,600 federal employees in the county have been furloughed.