The good news is that, for now, a US Government shutdown has been averted for at least 45 days. But how did we get to this point? A lot of organizations that de- pend on funds from the government to keep going have let out a sigh of relief, at least temporarily.
Museums and national parks would close, and roughly three in five workers – out of a federal civilian workforce of roughly 2.2 million – could have been barred from working.
Furloughs would hit 62% of employees at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, an agency at the center of America’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an agency shutdown plan.
And get this, the people who are enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces, their paychecks would stop if there were a government shutdown. Can you imagine that? Our soldiers wouldn’t get paid but would still be expected to show up for work.
Federal workers can stay on the job–if being away puts lives or property at risk. But many would have to work without being paid until funding is approved. And those in less critical roles would definitely be furloughed.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ shut- down plan pledges the CDC “will continue full support” for public health needs. But the budget headache could still be a distraction.
According to Reuters News Agency, after the funding expires, some workers can clock in briefly to set department shutdowns in motion, such as choosing who would be exempt from furlough and adding a shutdown message to government voicemails.
Shutdown plans in the past have included suspending processing of applications for firearms and passports. Much of the government would continue on autopilot, having no impact on the government’s ability to pay bills even as it nears a $28.9 trillion debt limit.
Even with furloughs, the Treasury Department would make debt payments and mail Social Security pension checks. Soldiers could still fight wars, but many civilians in the Department of Defense would be furloughed.
The last government shutdown ended after 35 days in January 2019 when several air traffic controllers, who had been working without pay, reportedly called in sick, leading to flight delays and helping to break a political impasse over funding legislation.
The Biden administration has warned that federal inspections ensuring food safety and prevention of the release of dangerous materials into drinking water could stop for the duration of the shutdown.
About 10,000 children aged three and four may also lose access to Head Start, a federally funded program to promote school readiness among toddlers, especially among low-income families.
What causes a shutdown?
What causes a government shutdown are the terms of a piece of legislation known as the Anti-Deficiency Act, first passed in 1884. It prohibits federal agencies from
spending or obligating funds without an act of appropriation– or some alternative form of approval – from Congress.
If Congress fails to enact the 12 annual appropriations bills needed to fund the US government’s activities and associated bureaucracy, all non-essential work must cease until it does. If Congress enacts some of the bills, but not others, the agencies affected by the bills not enacted, are forced to cease normal functioning; this is known as a partial government shutdown.
The last thing for now on a government shutdown. Get this: When and if there is a government shutdown, while other government workers ,…
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