January 10th, 2019: Government Shut Down Now 20 Days

January 10th, 2019

President Trump just departed McAllen, Tx, where he met with border patrol agents and talked about border security.  He is returning now to Washington, DC, as negotiations to reopen parts of the federal government continue. (Democratic lawmakers and Trump are at an impasse over funding for his long-promised border.)

Also today on January 10th, 2019, federal employees held a rally in Washington, D.C.  to end the shutdown.

The government has been shut down for 20 days. A total of 800,000 federal employees have been furloughed or working without pay since December 21st, 2018, and won't receive their next paychecks until the government reopens.

Food Stamps Could Be Affected by Shutdown

The partial government shutdown glided into its third week Saturday with no end in sight. If the government is not reopened before February, millions of Americans who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) -- the nation's food stamp program -- could have their assistance disrupted.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP at the federal level, is one of the agencies unfunded during the partial government shutdown. Although SNAP is automatically renewed, it has not been allocated funding from Congress beyond January. Congress has appropriated $3 billion in emergency funds for SNAP distribution, but that would not cover all of February's obligations:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/millions-could-face-severe-cuts-to-food-stamps-due-to-government-shutdown

2019 Veterans Field Guide to Federal Government Shutdown

2019 Veterans Field Guide to Federal Government Shutdown:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/us/politics/federal-workers-government-shutdown.html

This includes services NOT impacted and services that ARE impacted.

More Shutdown News January 2019

How Does a Shutdown End if an Agreement is Never Reached?

So right now, as of 3rd January 2019, the US government is shut down, due to disagreements between President & Congress on border security funding. Both sides are in an apparent stalemate. So my question is simply, what happens if neither side backs down? Does the shut-down just go on indefinitely? How does this end?

Answer:

If necessary, Congress can pass a spending bill without the president's support. Currently Trump claims he will veto any bill which doesn't include funding for the wall. However if two-thirds of each chamber of Congress agree, they can override a presidential veto & end the shutdown. The current Senate has already passed a spending bill without funding for Trump's wall once with a veto-proof majority of 100-0. Instead of voting on that bill though, the Republican-lead House of Representatives voted on a different bill with wall funding that was sure to fail in the Senate. The Senate won't change much in the next Congress, but the House of Representatives will have new leadership & can try to pass a similar bill to what has previously passed the Senate. If the Senate votes similarly & the House gets enough votes they can end the shutdown with or without Trump.

Answer:

The government shutdown is caused by a lapse in funding for government operations & agencies.
The Antideficiency Act mandates that the government can't incur "obligations or the making of expenditures (outlays) in excess of amounts available in appropriations or funds". As explained by The Hill, this act "provides the framework for which government functions temporarily cease & how employees are impacted". Thus, the only way to end a government shutdown is to pass appropriations legislation. This can be in the form of a regular appropriations bill (a yearly budget) or a continuing resolution (CR; a short-term funding bill). Without any appropriations legislation passed, the shutdown will continue indefinitely. Currently, both parties are looking to pass a continuing resolution. However, since there was no agreement on the amount of funding to provide for border security, the Senate passed a CR which doesn't include funding for border security while the House passed a CR which includes $5.7 billion for border security. Since there was no agreement between the Senate & the House, the government shutdown continues to date.

https://politics.stackexchange.com/questions/37635/how-does-a-shutdown-end-if-an-agreement-is-never-reached

Some BLM parks in Las Cruces, New Mexico area open, some closed during shutdown:

https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2019/01/02/some-blm-parks-las-cruces-area-open-some-closed-during-shutdown/2468018002

Despite Huge Backlogs, The Government Shutdown Halts Most Immigration Court Hearings:

http://www.kut.org/post/despite-huge-backlogs-government-shutdown-halts-most-immigration-court-hearings 

White House Supports Back Pay When Shutdown Ends:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-supports-back-pay-when-shutdown-ends-after-saying-most-furloughed-workers-are-democrats

National Mall Scene - Monuments during Shutdown:

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/god-people-national-mall-scene-symbol-shutdowns-impact/story?id=60118435

Federal workers won't see a check until Jan. 25 at the earliest:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-pay-federal-workers-likely-wont-see-cash-until-jan-25-regardless-of-negotiations

The Government Shutdown Won’t Solve the Immigration Crisis:

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-government-shutdown-wont-solve-the-immigration-crisis 

Impact of the Government Shutdown on General Aviation: 

https://nbaa.org/aircraft-operations/the-government-shutdown-and-business-aviation/impact-of-the-government-shutdown-on-general-aviation

Shutdown Update - 1/3/19

Today on 1/3/19 the following news is out on the status of the Federal Government Shutdown:

http://fortune.com/2019/01/03/shutdown-irs-tax-refund

Government Shutdown Could Delay Tax Refunds:

 https://turnto10.com/news/local/government-shutdown-could-delay-tax-refunds

Democrats Announce Plan to Reopen Government Including Pay Raise for Feds:

https://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2019/01/democrats-announce-plan-reopen-government-including-pay-raise-feds/153872

How the Shutdown is Reaching a Breaking Point:

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/01/how-the-shutdown-is-reaching-a-breaking-point-1053885

Furloughed Federal Employees Guide to Filing for Unemployment during the Shutdown:

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2019/01/a-furloughed-federal-employees-guide-to-filing-for-unemployment-during-the-shutdown

Government Shutdown Day 13:

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/03/government-shutdown-day-13-1078290

Shutdown Halts E-Verify Checks:

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/423613-shutdown-halts-e-verify-checks-on-capitol-hill

States Most Affected by the Shutdown:

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/03/these-states-are-most-affected-by-the-government-shutdown-study-finds.html

How the Government Shutdown Impacts You:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-01-02/heres-how-the-government-shutdown-impacts-you

How the Government Shutdown Affects Health Programs:

https://khn.org/news/how-the-government-shutdown-affects-health-programs

Fannie Mae Releases New Policies for Originations During Government Shutdown: 

https://www.housingwire.com/articles/47823-fannie-mae-releases-new-policies-for-originations-during-government-shutdown

Shutdown by the Numbers:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/03/politics/shutdown-by-the-numbers/index.html

Government Shutdown - National Parks:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/01/government-shutdown-ftc-national-parks.html

Latest White House Meeting on Shutdown Resolves Nothing:

http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/01/latest-white-house-meeting-on-shutdown-resolves-nothing.html

Federal Government Partial Shutdown December 22 2018

Federal Government Partial Shutdown December 22 2018

On December 22nd, 2018 the United States Federal Government Partially Shut Down.

Some good news: on December 21st, the Senate passed a bill to guarantee furloughed federal employees back pay once the government re-opens.

Agency Contingency Plans for 2015 Shutdown

Below is link to the White House where you can click a link to view your federal agency's Contingency Plan should a government shutdown occur in 2015:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/contingency-plans

Here We Go Again - Another Federal Government Shutdown?

Egads.  Its happening again!

The Obama administration has begun formal preparations for a partial government shutdown next week:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2015/09/22/white-house-starts-shutdown-ball-rolling

The Huffington Post reports that one of the most significant outcomes of the 2013 shutdown was that it led to the temporary closure of the Department of the Interior, which provoked “public outrage” as it meant the closure of National Parks – ruining family vacations, weddings, and costing the government $414 million in lost revenue:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/interior-department-government-shutdown_55f84e34e4b09ecde1d9d12e

Last week Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced a bill assuring that all of the 2.7 million federal workers eventually would be paid if the government shuts down:

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/2015/09/21/Another-Government-Shutdown-Washington-Prepares-Nervous-Breakdown 

A government shutdown: What federal employees need to know about their pay and benefits:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2015/09/18/what-happens-to-federal-employee-pay-benefits-in-a-shutdown

The Washington Post published an article on 10/16/13:

"Furloughed employees typically would return on day after shutdown ends"

 Here is a link to this article:

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2013/10/16/furloughed-employees-typically-would-return-on-day-after-shutdown-ends 

Senate Deal to End Shutdown Includes Retroactive Pay

Fed Smith published an article on 10/16/13:

"Senate Deal to End Shutdown Includes Retroactive Pay"

         

Here is a link to this article:

http://www.fedsmith.com/2013/10/16/senate-deal-to-end-shutdown-includes-retroactive-pay

Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs - Office of personnel Management 10-11-13

The Office of Personnel Management has updated the following:

"Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs".

The 10/11/13 version can be found at the link below:

http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/furlough-guidance/guidance-for-shutdown-furloughs.pdf

Accrual of Leave While Furloughed and the Government is Shut Down

Found a good article on Government Executive's website:

"Shutdown Could Halt Feds Leave Accrual"

Here is the link to this article:
http://www.govexec.com/pay-benefits/2013/10/shutdown-could-halt-feds-leave-accrual/71819

Statistics of the Lives of Furloughed Federal Employees

I will be interested to see statistics after this shut down is over.
I wonder...
What percentage of furloughed federal employees:

1.  Took out loans against their Thrift Savings Plan
2.  Took out loans from credit unions
3.  Took out loans from banks
4.  Were forced to file bankruptcy
5.  Filed for unemployment
6.  Sold off some possessions on Craig's List, Ebay, etc.
7.  Sex Life improved significantly
8.  Sex Life eroded significantly
9.  Obsessive-compulsive employees ended up with a spic-and-span clean house
10.  Grew a beard
11.  Slept in until noon or later with frequency
12.  Stayed up after midnight since they weren't working
13.  Their pets appeared visibly more happier/content and their behavior improved.
14.  Lost weight intentionally
15.  Gained weight
16.  Lost weight unintentionally
17.  Finished previously unfinished projects
18.  Accomplished major accomplishments
19.  Decided to change careers
20.  Made other major life-changing decisions 
21.  Quality of life improved substantially
22.  Quality of life deteriorated significantly
23.  Got sick more
24.  Health improved
25.  Quality of sleep improved
26.  Quality of sleep became impaired/worsened
27.  Came up with significant creative ideas
28.  Dream activity while sleeping improved
29.  Dream activity while sleeping worsened, had nightmares, etc.
30.  Communications improved with family, relatives & friends i.e. in person, via email, via phone, etc.
31.  Social activity significantly decreased
32.  Social activity significantly increased
33.  Updated their resumes
34.  Applied for other jobs
35.  Considered quitting or leaving their current federal job to go to private industry
36.  Considered moving out of the United States
37.  Decided to quit or to leave their current federal job to go to private industry
38.  Decided to move out of the United States
39.  Decided to retire
40.  Decided to delay their retirement
41.  Changed their distribution of funds in their Thrift Savings Plan retirement accounts
42.  Decided to sell their homes
43.  Decided to move
44.  Became more neurotic
45.  Became more uninhibited
46.  Sense of humor improved
47.  Sense of humor dwindled
48.  Attitude became more positive
49.  Attitude became more negative
50.  Spent more time at home on the internet
51.  Spent less time at home on the internet
52.  Watched more tv
53.  Watched less tv
54.  Took a trip or two within a day's drive
55.  Took a trip or two out of state
56.  Took a major trip far from home i.e. across the country, to another country
57.  Reassessed their career stance and plans and life plans in a major way
58.  Those who weren't depressed developed significant depression
59.  Those previously depressed had their depression significantly worsen
60.  Let their housework deteriorate and they lived in a mess of squalor.
61.   Fell in love
62.  Fell out of love
63.  Initiated divorce proceedings or had their spouse initiate divorce proceedings
64.  Died of stress-related causes
65.  Died of other causes
66.  Created blogs about the shutdown and furlough
67.  Cried because of the furlough and shutdown
68.  Laughed because of the furlough and shutdown
69.  Became deliriously happy due to the furlough and shutdown
70.  Stayed intoxicated or indulged in drug or alcohol abuse during the furlough and shutdown
71.  If previously addicted, their addictions worsened significantly
72.  Quit smoking cigarettes
73.  Smoked considerably more cigarettes
74.  Blew money indulging in luxuries they never have time to participate in while working i.e. massage, etc.
75.  Didn't go anywhere and were very tight with money because they were furloughed
76.  Friends and family shunned them because they were furloughed
77.  Experienced haughty comments from others who are envious of or despise federal employees
78.  Grew very bored
79.  Were never bored
80.  Altered their Christmas spending budget
81.  Experienced catastrophic life events on top of being furloughed

For Furloughed Federal Employees, No Paid Sick or Annual Leave

Fed Smith has an in-depth article worthy of a read published 10-10-13:

"No Paid Sick or Annual Leave. What About FMLA Leave for Excepted Employees?"

A link to this article is found below.

http://www.fedsmith.com/2013/10/10/no-paid-sick-or-annual-leave-what-about-fmla-leave-for-excepted-employees 

 

Furloughed Federal Employees Stretch Last Paycheck Until Shutdown Ends

Bloomberg has an article published on 10-11-13 about furloughed federal employees stretch their last paycheck until the government shutdown ends.

Here is a link to that article:

 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-11/federal-workers-stretch-last-paycheck-until-shutdown-ends.html