Government Shutdown 2018: What’s open, what’s closed?

The U.S. Government went into official shutdown mode last night at the stroke of midnight when Democrats, Republicans and U.S. President Donald Trump could not or would not come to an agreement on a host of issues which included 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 night at midnight, according to Sfgate.  The House recently 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.”

Congress is meeting again today for negotiations in the hopes of re-opening the government.  President Trump, who was initially scheduled to be in Florida this 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.

So now that the government is shut down, what’s next?  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 will be open this weekend but will close beginning Monday. 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

Written by:  Richard Webster, Ace News Today