A White House official told the AP that the temporary shutdown will save taxpayers $1.3 million per year, though there's no detail on how. The current petitions -- 17 that have met the signature threshold -- have not been responded to in the year Trump has been in office. According to the AP, they include calls for Trump to release his tax returns, preserve (and cease) funding for the National Endowments for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. While the petition site is down, individuals can contact the White House through a web form.