Living through a shutdown
Some will feel the effects of the federal government closures quickly
WASHINGTON — Parts of the federal government closed at midnight Friday after the House and Senate failed to reach a spending agreement with President Trump.
Before the fiscal year started in October, Congress passed laws to fund about 75% of government agencies, but lawmakers gave themselves until Friday to approve budgets for the rest. The hangup involves money that Trump has demanded for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
The agencies affected include the departments of Homeland Security, State, Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice and Transportation, as well as NASA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.
About 800,000 workers at those agencies aren’t being paid during the shutdown; some 420,000 of those are expected to work anyway.
Which agencies are still functioning?
The post office is delivering mail (including lastminute Christmas packages), Social Security checks are being delivered, Medicare is functioning and Transportation Security Administration agents will still inspect you at the airport.
Otherwise, with most government offices already shut through Christmas, the average American may not notice much impact — at least for a while.
Which agencies have closed?
Much of the national park system is closed. Some popular parks like Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon may remain accessible, but visitor centers and campsites are closed, and bathrooms aren’t likely to be maintained.
Some sites where access is easily controlled, including the Statue of Liberty, may be closed completely. The Smithsonian museums in Washington may have funds to stay open for a while, depending on how long the shutdown lasts. The National Zoo in Washington is closed, but the animals are being fed and cared for.
Closures could change over time if the shutdown persists, so if you’re planning a visit, check ahead.
The Federal Housing Administration and the Small Business Administration aren’t able to process new home or smallbusiness loans. The FHA shutdown will affect some people buying houses.
Depending on how long the shutdown goes, the State Department may stop issuing or renewing passports and visas.
The Internal Revenue Service is furloughing most of its employees and is not issuing tax refunds. That only affects a small number of people, since few taxpayers file returns seeking refunds in December. But if a shutdown persists, the impact would grow.
What happens with federal workers?
More than 800,000 federal workers are either home without pay or working without pay for however long the government is closed, according to data compiled by Senate Democrats.
Those whose jobs are deemed “essential” — mostly public safety functions — have to report to work without pay. That includes:
More than 41,000 federal law enforcement and prison employees who work for the Justice Department.
Thousands of air traffic controllers in the Transportation Department who are keeping planes moving during the busy holiday season.
Homeland Security Department employees, who are hit the hardest; nearly 90% of them are considered essential, including more than 54,000 border control agents and 53,000 TSA agents.
An additional 380,000 federal employees are being furloughed.
Will workers get back pay later?
After previous shutdowns, Congress has passed measures giving back pay to furloughed workers and essential employees who worked during the shutdown. But that isn’t guaranteed this time.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) said federal workers knew when they took their jobs that this was possible.
“It’s not lost on me in terms of the potential hardship, but ... they know that they would be required to work,” he said Thursday.
Democrats note that many workers live paycheck to paycheck, so some will suffer hardship even if Congress provides back pay. Republicans were lambasted over how the shutdown will affect workers.
In a tweet, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said, “.@realDonaldTrump has no concept of the hard work our federal employees do every day to keep the country running. Forcing 800,000 of them to spend the holidays unsure about their next paycheck is cruel.”
How long might this last?
Hard to know. Some shutdown standoffs in recent years have been settled in a day or two. In 1996, however, a shutdown lasted 21 days. A 2013 shutdown took 16 days to resolve.
Lawmakers may end up waiting for the new Congress, with Democrats in the majority in the House, to take up the matter after they reconvene Jan. 3.
Trump tweeted Friday morning that “there will be a shutdown that will last for a very long time” if he doesn’t get his way.
Why wasn’t this resolved in time?
The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill Wednesday night to fund all the agencies that don’t have their regular appropriations through Feb. 8. But on Thursday, Trump said he would not sign any spending bill that didn’t include $5 billion for his wall at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The House passed a spending bill with wall funds Thursday night, but House and Senate Democrats called it a nonstarter. Senate passage requires 60 votes, meaning Republicans can’t pass a bill without a few Democrats’ votes.
House and Senate leaders sent their members home Friday after a day of negotiations with the White House. They planned to resume talks Saturday, and lawmakers indicated they were promised 24 hours’ notice before the next vote.
Lawmakers say there’s no clear pathway to resolve the standoff unless Trump drops his demands about the U.S.-Mexico border wall.