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

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

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 

 

Unfurlough.us: Website Helps Furloughed Employees Start Up Freelance Businesses

Unfurlough.us is a website that connects furloughed federal employees with freelance start-up projects.  Start-up gigs are posted that they can respond to, and freelancers can post their qualifications & resumes in case a company is looking for something specific.

Here is the link to this 10-10-13 article:

http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2013/1010/Government-shutdown-Unfurlough.us-connects-federal-workers-with-start-ups

Two Articles 10-10-13: Deb Default Scenarios & History Stats of Shutdowns

What's the Worst that Could Happen? Seven Debt-default Doomsday Scenarios

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/whats-worst-could-happen-7-debt-default-doomsday-scenarios-8C11366851

History:  frequency & length of shutdowns:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-10/start-getting-ready-for-the-next-government-shutdown

Shutdown / Furlough Humor: The siren call of the BlackBerry for furloughed federal workers

The Washington Post has a great article with some humor interjected:

"The siren call of the BlackBerry for furloughed federal workers"


A link to this article is below:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-siren-call-of-the-blackberry-for-furloughed-federal-workers/2013/10/09/62dc407c-3102-11e3-8627-c5d7de0a046b_story.html

 BuzzFeed Politics has an article with humor and pictures:  "

Furloughed Government Employees Are Selling Their Possessions On Craigslist For Cash"

Below is the link to this article, which offers some humor in this furlough situation.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/furloghed-government-employees-are-selling-their-possessions

Federal Workers Get 60 Percent Check on Friday

The Statesman Journal has an article "Federal Workers Get 60 Percent Check on Friday".
Below is a link to this article:

http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20131008/UPDATE/131008019/Federal-workers-get-60-percent-check-Friday

Government shutdown would threaten fragile economy

Click link below for 9-30-13 article:

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/government-shutdown-2013-economy-97541.html

Furloughed U.S. Federal Workers Await 1/2-Sized Paycheck

Furloughed U.S. Federal Workers Await 1/2-Sized Paycheck

Click link below for article:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-08/furloughed-u-s-federal-workers-await-half-sized-paycheck.html 

House Unlikely to Pass Debt Ceiling Bill This Week

House Unlikely to Pass Debt Ceiling Bill This Week

Click link below for article:

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/house-debt-ceiling-bill-97950.html#ixzz2h52d1hXy

At Least 24,000 Federal Workers File for Unemployment in D.C., Maryland

At Least 24,000 Federal Workers File for Unemployment in D.C., Maryland

Click link below for article:

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/At-Least-24000-File-for-Unemployment-in-DC-Maryland-226783761.html 

Obama to Boehner: No talks until government opens

Obama to Boehner: No talks until government opens 

Click below for the 10-8-13 article:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BUDGET_BATTLE?SITE=MOSTP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-10-08-13-13-34

Republicans May Tie Federal Paychecks To Shutdown Negotiations

Click below for the 10-7-13 article:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnstanton/republicans-may-tie-federal-paychecks-to-shutdown-negotiatio

Sportsmen groups worry about economic & conservation impacts of government shutdown

See 10-8-13 article here:

http://wyofile.com/kelsey-dayton/sportsmen-groups-worry-about-economic-and-conservation-impacts-of-government-shutdown/#sthash.G9FUzGm8.dpuf

We are Shut Down! List of Things Federal Employees Might Want to Do

Reported to work this morning at the federal agency I work for.
We had a brief meeting about the Shutdown, did a few things to close out and now we are officially shut down.

Returned home & am now making list of things I need to accomplish.

Considering the facts that we have no idea when we will be recalled back to work,
that we have no guarantee that we will be paid for the time we are furloughed,
and that the bills still come in and must be paid, here are things federal employees who are furloughed from the Shutdown can consider doing now:

1)  Make list of things you'd like to accomplish during the Shutdown

2)  Revise/Update/Make a Budget considering your non-pay current status

3)  If you need to take a loan, you can get a 2% interest loan against your federal TSP (Thrift Savings Plan).
Go to the TSP website and print the forms, fill out loan application forms and sign them in presence of notary and have notary sign them.

Here is link to the TSP website where the loan forms and loan publications are found:

https://www.tsp.gov/forms/loans.shtml

4)  If conserving money is an important issue for you, consider cutting back expenses.
I called Optimum (now Charter) today and was able to lower my cable tv/internet/land phone triple package cost from $135.96 a month to $94.85 a month.

Expenses you could cut & Ways to Make Some Extra Cash:

1)  Food - cut back or eliminate eating out

2)  Food - Eat more meatless meals & eliminate luxury foods i.e. expensive foods.

3)  Use coupons and rebates for purchases.

4)  Buy items in bulk which in long run is cheaper than running to store every week.
I go to Big Lots in a city south of here, and stock up on food (they carry lots of bulk, cheap food), toiletries, etc.
I buy toilet paper, paper towells, cleaning supplies, etc. in bulk.
I stock up there on packaged milk which is sterilized in waxed paper rectangle-shaped box containers.  The milk doesn't need to be refrigerated until opened.

5)  Shop for cheapest gas before refueling your vehicle.
Gas Buddy is a website where you can enter your zipcode and find the cheapest places to get gas:

http://gasbuddy.com

6)   Cut back on home utility expenses.  Keep thermostat less hot/cool, use a/c less, close off rooms and heat/cool fewer rooms.  Use those twisty shaped lightbulbs that save energy to lower your electric bill.  Insulate your home, windows, etc. better to conserve energy.  Conserve use of water to lower water bill.

7)  Have a yard sale or put items for sale in a consignment shop to get some extra cash.

8)  If you have marketable skills you can make money at immediately, consider using those skills to earn money and work for yourself.  Such skills that could be used temporarily would be selling arts & crafts items you make, providing childcare/babysitting services, etc.

9)  If you itemize your taxes, and don't want to have a yardsale, etc. you could give donations of items to Salvation Army, Goodwill, etc. and ask for receipt to use to lower your taxes when you itemize your taxes.

10)  If your spouse isn't working and is capable of working, perhaps they could find part-time or full-time work during the Shutdown to supplement your income, since you now don't have an income.

11)  As soon as possible, file an unemployment claim.  You can file online.  Here is link for Federal Employee information about filing for unemployment (the Department of Labor):

http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/unemploy/unemcomp.asp

State laws vary, but most require a one to two-week waiting period before you begin receiving unemployment checks.  A waiting period does not mean you must wait one or two weeks to file.  You should file immediately.

Here is the link to locate your state employment website to file for in your state:

http://www.servicelocator.org/OWSLinks.asp

I just filed for unemployment online at my state's website and it took me about 10 minutes to file.

The Federal Government Shutdown

If you're currently a federal employee, you probably feel like this guy who is about to exit a plane!

And you probably feel like the driver of the red car in this photo!

I've compiled a list on the first several posts of this blog of links to news on the government shutdown, furloughs, links for federal employees regarding same.

Also I posted many other links to news and alternative news.
Just scroll to bottom of page, and click previous posts to get to first posts.

Federal Government Shutdown News for Federal Employees & the Public

I googled and googled, but could find no comprehensive list of links for Federal Government Shutdown News & Information Links.

So I began creating a list tonight on 9/30/13.

About 800,000 to a million federal employees will be out of work without pay if a shutdown occurs.
This list includes sources directed towards federal employees.


---------------------------------------------------------- 
 
SHUTDOWN NEWS & SHUTDOWN INFO LINKS FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES:

Federal News Radio - Shutdown:

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/?nid=150&sid=2530998

Government Executive - Federal News:
http://www.govexec.com/federal-news/?oref=nav

Federal Times:
http://www.federaltimes.com

Fed Smith:
http://www.fedsmith.com/category/news

 Fed Week: - news for federal employees
http://www.fedweek.com

Federal Daily - news for federal & postal employees:
http://www.federaldaily.com/Home.aspx

AND
 

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES NEWS DIGEST


Office of Personnel Management:
http://www.opm.gov

Department of Labor - Shutdown Info page (includes how federal employees should file for unemployment, etc.)
http://www.dol.gov/dol/shutdown.htm

http://www.doleta.gov

The Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration provides information and assistance for employers and employees. Hypertext links take you to scores of related sites dealing with training, employment, unemployment compensation and other useful topics. "Planning Your Future -- A Federal Employee's Survival Guide" A sub-site of Department of Labor Employment & Training Administration. Here, you'll find detailed information on RIFs and furloughs, buyouts, transition assistance, financial management, health and stress management, and a list of organizations and contacts. http://www.safetynet.doleta.gov RELATED INFORMATION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: About RIFS (Reductions in Force) Reductions-In-Force (RIF): When an agency conducts a significant job reduction, it must use formal reduction-in-force procedures published by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. These rules create four standards for determining which employees are released, and which are retained, either in their current positions or in another position: Tenure of employment (such as type of appointment); Veterans preference; Length of service; and, Performance ratings. An agency is required to use the RIF procedures when an employee is faced with separation or downgrading for a reason such as reorganization, lack of work, shortage of funds, insufficient personnel ceiling, or the exercise of certain reemployment or restoration rights. A furlough of more than 30 calendar days, or of more than 22 discontinuous workdays, also is a RIF action. (A furlough of 30 or fewer calendar days, or of 22 or fewer discontinuous workdays, is an adverse action.) From the Washington Post website: "Federal workers who check their e-mail during a shutdown will be breaking the law" http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/09/30/federal-workers-who-check-their-e-mail-during-a-shutdown-will-be-breaking-the-law September 30, 2013 "In the event of a government shutdown — just 12 hours to go until the deadline — workers on furlough will be barred from accessing their work e-mail accounts, according to the Office of Personnel Management.Public servants who've been told to stay home may even be asked to hand over their mobile devices -- just to make sure. Federal employees who do check their inboxes will technically be breaking an obscure law known as the Antideficiency Act, which was passed over a hundred years ago and carries a penalty of fines or even imprisonment. The same rules hold for telling employees when they can come back to the office.  ---------------------------------------------------------- Shutdown News Links for the General Public: Bloomberg: http://www.bloomberg.com Politico - shutdown: http://www.politico.com/p/pages/government-shutdown Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com Atlantic Wire: http://www.theatlanticwire.com New York Times - shutdown: http://www.washingtontimes.com

Washington Times:http://www.washingtontimes.com

Washington Post - shutdown:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics-live/liveblog/live-updates-the-shutdown-showdown

Fox News - shutdown:http://www.foxnews.com/topics/issues/government-shutdown.htm

 

ABC - Shutdown:
http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/issues/government-shutdown.htm

Beibart - Shutdown
http://www.breitbart.com/Search?q=shutdown

CBS News - Shutdown:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57605324/hours-away-from-shutdown-house-gop-not-backing-down

Gawker - shutdown:
http://gawker.com/tag/government-shutdown

Newser - shutdown:
http://www.newser.com/tag/57228/1/government-shutdown.html

CNN - Shutdown:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/politics/government-shutdown-up-to-speed/index.html?hpt=hp_inthenews

USA Today - Shutdown:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics


ALSO:
  
WALL STREET JOURNAL

 MSNBC

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