President Donald Trump and the U.S.
Congress are racing to meet a midnight Friday deadline to pass a
short-term bill to keep the U.S. government open and prevent
agencies from shutting down.
In shutdowns, government employees are vulnerable to
furlough, or temporary unpaid leave. Other "essential" workers,
including those dealing with public safety and national
security, keep working, some with and others without pay.
After previous government shutdowns, Congress passed
measures to ensure that essential and nonessential employees
received retroactive pay.
The last shutdown in October 2013 lasted more than two
weeks. More than 800,000 federal employees were furloughed. Here
is what happened then and some recent updates from officials:
MILITARY: The Defense Department said on Friday that a
shutdown would not impact the U.S. military's war in Afghanistan
or its operations against Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria.
All military personnel on active duty would remain on normal
duty status. Civilian personnel in non-essential operations
would be furloughed.
JUSTICE: The Justice Department has many "essential"
workers. Under its shutdown contingency plan, about 95,000 of
the department's almost 115,000 staff would keep working.
FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT: The stock market-policing Securities
and Exchange Commission funds itself by collecting fees from the
financial industry but its budget is set by Congress. It has
said in the past it would be able to continue operations
temporarily in a shutdown. But it would have to furlough workers
if Congress went weeks before approving new funding.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, meanwhile, would
have to furlough 95 percent of its employees immediately. An
agency spokeswoman said the derivatives regulator could call in
additional staff, however, in the event of financial market
emergency.
NATIONAL PARKS: National parks closed in 2013 and it
resulted in a loss of 750,000 daily visitors, said the nonprofit
National Parks Conservation Association. The National Park
Service (NPS) estimated the shutdown cost $500 million in lost
visitor spending in areas around the parks and the Smithsonian
museums.
WASHINGTON TOURIST SIGHTS: In 2013, popular tourist sites
such as the Smithsonian closed, with barricades going up at the
Lincoln Memorial, the Library of Congress and the National
Archives. The National Zoo closed and its popular "Panda Cam"
went dark. The NPS, which oversees many Washington landmarks,
including the National Mall, has said it has a plan in place so
that "First Amendment activities" can continue during a
shutdown.
TAXES: The Internal Revenue Service furloughed 90 percent of
its staff in 2013, the liberal Center for American Progress
said. About $4 billion in tax refunds were delayed as a result,
according to the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB.
MAIL DELIVERY: Deliveries are expected to continue as usual
because the U.S. Postal Service gets no tax dollars for
day-to-day operations.
TRAVEL: Air and rail travelers did not feel a big impact in
2013 because security officers and air traffic controllers
remained at work. Passport processing continued with some
delays.
COURTS: The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has
said federal courts, including the Supreme Court, could continue
to operate normally for about three weeks without additional
funding.
HEALTHCARE: Sign-ups for the newly created Obamacare health
insurance exchanges began as scheduled in 2013. The Medicare
health insurance program for the elderly continued largely
without disruption. A program at the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention to track flu outbreaks was temporarily
halted. Hundreds of patients could not enroll in National
Institutes of Health clinical trials, according to the OMB.
CHILDREN: Six Head Start programs in Alabama, Connecticut,
Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina serving about
6,300 children shut for nine days, the OMB said.
SOCIAL SECURITY: Social Security and disability checks were
issued in 2013 with no change in payment dates and field offices
remained open but offered limited services. There were delays in
the review process for new applicants.
LOANS: Processing of mortgages and other loans was delayed
when lenders could not access government services such as income
and Social Security number verification. The Small Business
Administration was unable to process about 700 applications for
$140 million in loans until the shutdown ended, OMB said.
VETERANS: Most employees at the Department of Veterans
Affairs would not be subject to furlough. VA hospitals would
remain open and veterans' benefits would continue, but education
assistance and case appeals would be delayed, the department
said.
FOOD INSPECTIONS: Department of Agriculture meat inspectors
stayed on the job. Agricultural statistical reports ceased
publication. The USDA's website went dark.
ENERGY: The Department of Energy said on Friday that since
most of its appropriations are for multiple years, employees
should report to work as normal during a shutdown until told
otherwise. If there was a prolonged lapse in funding a "limited
number" of workers may be placed on furlough, according to its
plan.