Federal workers have cleared out, the gates are blocking the entrances to the national monuments and the panda cam has gone offline. But the grounds of the White House are more alive than ever.

Due to the government shutdown, now 18 days old (but which could be coming to an end soon), the White House groundskeepers have not been able to tend to the upkeep of the various gardens that span the 18 acres of the White House’s grounds.

In the early morning and late evening for the past two weeks, a fox has been spotted roaming the lawn – and he brought his friends. Groundskeepers have given up on trying to catch him because of the limited amount of work they can do during the shutdown.

With the government no longer functioning, the White House’s furry residents – including a hungry pack of squirrels – have infested Michelle Obama’s kitchen garden, now overflowing with unpicked vegetables.

They are devouring the tomatoes and peppers that have fallen from the vine and – much like our government – were once ripe and thriving, but now just kind of sit there.