Government shutdown looms
Gridlock in the White House could cause furloughs, interrupt benefits and close national parks
The United States lawmakers have until midnight on the final day of the fiscal year – this Saturday, Sept. 30 – to enact legislation to fund the programs covered by the appropriations process, or the government will shut down. This time, the potential shutdown would affect all federal activities covered by discretionary appropriations, as opposed to the most recent FY 2019 shutdown that began in late 2018 and extended into early 2019 that affected only departments and agencies covered by the appropriations bills that Congress had not yet enacted.
During shutdown, federal agencies must discontinue all non-essential discretionary functions until new funding legislation is passed and signed into law. Essential services continue to function, as do mandatory spending programs, but state and federal employees could be subjected to furloughs.
Although many programs are exempt, the public is still likely to feel the impact of a shutdown in several ways. For example, a full government shutdown could interrupt such services as:
• Social Security and Medicare: Benefit verification as well as card issuance could cease.
• Environmental and Food Inspection: The Food and Drug Administration could delay nonessential food safety inspections.
• National Parks: National parks could close, leading to restricted recreation zones and possible loss in visitor spending. Many parks remained open during the 2018-2019 shutdown, though no visitor services were provided, and damage and trash build-up were reported at many sites.
• Travel: Travelers could see delays with receiving passports. Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents could go without pay, negatively impacting air services.
• Health and Human Services: The National Institutes of Health could be prevented from admitting new patients or processing grant applications.
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: Food stamp benefits through the SNAP would remain intact in October but could be impacted after that
• WIC: The SNAP benefit for Women, Infants, and Children could cease.
• Head Start: Children from lowincome families could lose access to preschool programs.
• Student Loans: College students could see delays in their student loans.
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency: Access to disaster relief funds could cease.
These represent just some of the possible impacts. If the United States government cannot settle on a solution to prevent the shutdown this weekend, the White House will inform federal agencies on how to proceed, which means the full effects of the shutdown may not be known before the deadline.