How Government Shutdown 2018 impacts Maryland

The U.S. has now entered day three of the Government Shutdown that went into effect at midnight on January 20. At the heart of the shutdown is plenty of blame to go around with Democrats, Republicans and U.S. President Donald Trump not being able to agree on a host of issues centering around immigration and government spending. The last shutdown occurred in 2013 from October 1 – 16 when almost one million federal employees were furloughed and more than one million more were forced to work without pay, according to KCRA-3.  That shutdown reportedly cost the U.S. economy approximately $20 billion.

Congress is mandated by the U.S. Constitution to appropriate spending measures and come up with a budget to keep the country in operation.  For 2018, Congress has only been able to arrive at temporary spending measures, with the last temporary budget expiring last Friday at midnight, according to Sfgate.  On Friday, the House passed another temporary budget which would have kept the government open for another month.  The Senate blocked that bill “saying for weeks they want a funding measure to be tied to an immigration deal that protects the thousands of young immigrants facing deportation.”

The Senate is scheduled to meet again today at 1 p.m. to vote on whether or not to end the shutdown and re-open the government.  Specifically, the Senate will be voting on another temporary measure to fund the government for about three weeks, according to MSN. President Trump, who was initially scheduled to be in Florida this past weekend to celebrate his one-year anniversary as president, opted to stay in Washington to hopefully help in those negotiations, according to The Washington Times.

Except for some more finger-pointing and tweeting “Democrats have shut down our government in the interests of their far left base. They don’t want to do it but are powerless!,” the president has been out of sight and keeping a relatively low profile during the shutdown.

What’s Open?  What’s Closed?

According to USA Today, “essential” federal workers will remain on the job although they won’t be getting paid until Congress comes up with a spending bill.  VOX reports that most federal employees will be furloughed.

Members of the military will experience no gap in their pay unless the shutdown lasts past February 1, according to the Washington Post. After that point, they’d continue on the job without getting paid until the shutdown ends or until Congress and the president act to cover their pay.

Social Security checks will still be sent out.  The Energy Department and National Parks will remain open. The FBI will remain in full operation. Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are now closed. Veterans hospitals will be unaffected by the shutdown.

Social Security: As a “program written into law,” the Social Security Administration will ensure checks keep going out. However, the agency might not have (and, in the past, has not had) enough staff to do things like answer phone calls or help recipients who need to change addresses.

Other federal benefits like food stamps and unemployment checks would still continue. Medicare, Medicaid, local parks, schools and libraries would remain unaffected.  The Postal Service and Amtrak trains’ service will not shut down.  IRS customer service will not be available during the shutdown.

A Washington Post-ABC News poll conducted earlier this week found 48 percent view Trump and congressional Republicans as mainly responsible for the situation while 28 percent fault Democrats. If the shutdown drags on for long, it could give voters another reason to turn away from incumbents of both parties in a mid-term election. ~ per Sfgate

Government Shutdown Impact for Maryland?

In Maryland, Fort McHenry is closed.  Maryland’s U.S. District Courts remain open, according to The Baltimore Sun.  Geographically so close to Washington, Maryland hosts approximately 300,000 residents or 10% of the State’s work force employed by the feds. Those workers deemed “essential” will still be working, while those not considered essential will be furloughed.

The Sun quoted economist Richard Clinch as stating that the feds spend about $30.7 billion on procurement in Maryland and that, “Maryland is one of the most government-dependent states. If [a shutdown] lasts a long time, the Maryland economy will be hurt disproportionately.”

Maryland’s Republican Governor Larry Hogan blasted Congress for the shutdown on Twitter and shared a press release describing how Maryland is, “Ready to Assist Federal Employees Affected by Government Shutdown.”

Governor Larry Hogan Tweets:

Marylanders are sick and tired of Washington’s dysfunctional blame games. Let me be very clear to everyone in Washington, both Republicans and Democrats — stop the finger-pointing and do your jobs.

Congress should have their pay docked for every day they allow this reckless and irresponsible #shutdown to continue. #DoYourJob

They may not be doing their jobs in Washington, but here in MD, we’re working to help those affected by this senseless shutdown. Nearly 150,000 MDers work for the federal government. Find information about state assistance available and additional resources for those impacted [here].

Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today  /   Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter