A government shutdown, which would leave thousands of federal employees furloughed with just days until Christmas and Hanukkah, will set in at midnight on Friday if Congress doesn’t act.
The House on Thursday rejected a deal backed by President-elect Donald Trump that would have kept the government’s doors open, with dozens of Republicans joining with Democrats and voting against the proposal.
That bill was a slimmed-down version of a bipartisan plan to temporarily dodge a government shutdown, known as continuing resolution, that Trump and his allies torpedoed earlier in the week.
Keep up with the USA TODAY Network’s coverage as lawmakers race to avoid a serious shutdown over the holidays.
During a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers deemed nonessential would be furloughed, meaning they won’t work and won’t be paid.
Employees who are classified as essential for critical operations in defense, energy, agriculture and other sectors would continue to work without pay. However, under a 2019 law, all federal workers would be reimbursed for retroactive wages later.
Nearly 2 million federal workers are employed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
– Eric Lagatta
Holiday travel plans are unlikely to be disrupted.
Transportation Security Administration agents who operate security at airports, as well as air-traffic control workers would be required to work.
However, in past shutdowns some airports have struggled with absenteeism that forced some operations to be suspended. Additionally, the TSA would not be able to hire new airport security screeners during the busy holiday travel season.
– Eric Lagatta
During a government shutdown, some federal agencies continue their work because at least some of their workers are considered “essential” to continue activities such as air traffic control, border protection, law enforcement, in-hospital medical care, and power grid maintenance, notes the nonprofit, nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Among those agencies and programs that continue on because some of their mandatory spending is not subject to annual appropriations by Congress: Medicare, Medicaid and, yes, Social Security.
Social Security has “dedicated funding, so it’s outside of the budget process,” said Craig Copeland, director of wealth benefits research at the Employee Benefit Research Institute. “All that money is there to paid (out). It doesn’t have to be appropriated. … You’re still going to get your checks.”
– Mike Snider
