What happens during a US government shutdown?

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, as a bitterly-divided Congress hurtles toward a government shutdown this weekend in a partisan stare-down over demands by Democrats for a solution on politically fraught legislation to protect about 700,000 younger immigrants from being deported. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., arrives at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, as a bitterly-divided Congress hurtles toward a government shutdown this weekend in a partisan stare-down over demands by Democrats for a solution on politically fraught legislation to protect about 700,000 younger immigrants from being deported. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Published Jan 19, 2018

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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.

Reuters

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