By Prior Beharry

THE US Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago says scheduled passport and visa services will continue “as the situation permits,” even as it scales back public communications during the ongoing US government shutdown.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the embassy announced that its social media accounts would not be updated regularly until full operations resume, except for urgent safety and security information. It directed the public to travel.state.gov for service updates.

“We will not update this account until full operations resume, with the exception of urgent safety and security information. For information on our services and operating status, visit travel.state.gov,” the post read.

The US Embassy in Guyana issued an identical notice on its Facebook page.

According to international media reports, the shutdown stems from President Donald Trump’s failure to secure enough votes in Congress to pass a critical spending bill. While many government operations have halted, key services such as border protection, law enforcement, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in-hospital medical care, and air-traffic control are expected to continue.

The last US government shutdown occurred in 2018 and lasted 35 days, the longest on record.