This first case hits close to home. I know Dr. Isaacs, an entomologist at Michigan State University, and he does some very cool and essential bee pollination research.
http://michiganradio.org/post/federal-government-shutdown-threatens-pollination-study-michigan-state-university
This second case couldn't hit further from home, but makes me especially sad. The U.S Antarctic Program will be forced to move into "caretaker status" by next week, where almost all research and support activities will be stopped. What makes this especially tragic is that the main field season in Antarctica is from October to February, so this will prevent any data collection from this upcoming year.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/08/230445614/shutdown-forces-antarctic-research-into-caretaker-status
UPDATE: my friend shared this more-detailed article with me:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=us-antarctic-research-season-over