Government shutdown may be just hours away

The shutdown could still be avoided.

Rep. Chris Collins noted the budget bill the Republican House passed Thursday night would not only avert a shutdown, but would fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program for six years. The House and Senate are now negotiating a temporary funding extension until February 16, and at some point, Congress will need to negotiate and pass a budget for the rest of the fiscal year.

But for most Tennesseans, the potential impact would be minimal if Congress doesn’t reach an agreement by midnight Friday to keep the bureaucracy running.

Because Congress doesn’t have a fully funded annual budget, it needs to pass a continuing resolution to keep the federal government operating normally.

“I think it’s pretty likely”, said political science lecturer Stephen Goggin, who teaches at UC Irvine and San Diego State University.

That’s a contrast to the last government shutdown, when the closure of national parks, in particular, led to public outrage.

This resolution presented me with a hard choice: either to sign a budget-busting appropriations bill that would finance the entire government at levels well above my recommendations-and thus set back our efforts to halt the excessive Government spending that has fueled inflation and high interest rates, and destroyed investments for new jobs-or to hold the line on spending with a veto but risk interruption of government activities and services.

The Senate, which was controlled by Democrats, rejected both measures. Rand Paul – could vote against any bill that substantially increases spending above the caps.

Despite being in the minority, Democrats have substantial influence on the issue because some Republicans concerned about government spending – such as Sen.

Republicans made clear they will blame Senate Democrats if a shutdown occurs. There was also concern that funding for school lunch programs would have dried up had the shutdown lasted longer. They will not get paid. During the last government shutdown in 2013, which lasted 16 days, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was barred from hiring new agents and paying for training.

So, if you have a question for the IRS, you wouldn’t get an answer until the shutdown ended. That’s what happened in 2013 (and what would happen again now). The employees are paid retroactively for the forced time off. Members of Congress and individuals who deal with national security and other vital tasks would continue working despite the shutdown.

“Federal employees should not be penalized for Congress’ inability to get its job done on time”, Rep. Wittman said.

Museums: The Smithsonian Institution says its museums in Washington, D.C., as well as the National Zoo would remain open for the weekend but will close on Monday if the government shuts down.

Other core functions like disability claims or appeals over benefits would continue to function. Too many Americans-veterans, seniors, and other hardworking people rely on services provided by the federal government.

How many people stop working? . The agencies with the most furloughs were NASA, the Housing and Urban Development and Education departments, and the Environmental Protection Agency, all of which sent more than 90 percent of their workers home.

How much did this cost the economy? According to an estimate by the Council of Economic Advisers, up to 120,000 new private sector jobs were lost as well. So far this fiscal year, short-term funding bills passed before the few shutdown deadlines maintained last year’s spending levels for federal programs – but Congress wants to increase spending for the new year.