Will NORAD Track Santa if There’s a Government Shutdown?
NORAD tracks all U.S. airspace and has tracked Santa for 63 years... but it's a government agency.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) has a few agencies across the U.S. but is headquartered in the hallowed out Cheyenne Mountain of Colorado Springs, Colorado. NORAD provides aerospace and maritime warnings and aerospace control of North America. The workers at NORAD have tracked Santa's movements since the Christmas of 1955.
But what does a government shutdown mean for tracking Santa on Christmas Eve night? There are 9 governmental departments and dozens of agencies that will run out of money unless President Donald Trump can strike a deal to keep the government up and running. A deal needs to be made by the end of the day Friday, December 21st. The government has been shut down 8 times since 1980.
FORTUNATELY, no matter what happens with the government, "We're on duty 24-7, 365 days a year," said Capt. Cameron Hillier, spokesman for NORAD and U.S. North Command. So even if the government "goes dark", NORAD's Santa Tracker will be in full effect. There will be 1,400 volunteers who will join NORAD at the Peterson Air Force Base to help man an around-the-clock call center on December 24th. Users can track Santa via the phone by calling 1-877-HiNORAD or their mobile friendly website NORADSANTA.org.