US government shutdown

Mrs Bissli

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 7:59 pm

Well looks like there're only 4-5more hours to go before the official shutdown.
As much as I've been accustomed to now-nearly-annual game of chickens around
this time of the year, I thought somehow there was bipartisan consensus to avoid
the federal shutdown.

Hope no one needs to apply/renew passports. I presume no impacts on
WIC/Medicare/Medicaid?

NotInNJMommy

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 8:27 pm

http://www.nbcwashington.com/n......html

Leahh

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 10:38 pm

I haven't followed the news on this fully (especially with yt in middle of it all). Can someone please explain briefly why this is happening. What are the circumstances leading to the shutdown? From the little that I got it has to do with voting on Obamacare?

oliveoil

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 11:20 pm

Ok, I'm going to be the dummy here - what is a government shut down?

Tamiri

Mon, Sep 30 2013, 11:50 pm

Now you can all be more like Israel!

DrMom

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 3:12 am

Too bad they won't shut down the White House.

cranberry

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 8:45 am

Mrs Bissli wrote:

Dh (who is a federal government employee, and therefore currently out of work), said that WIC, food stamps, etc. are under a different budget, and therefore not affected. The FAA, Medicare and Medicaid are working. Passport offices are still open. However, if the office is located in a federal building that is closed, then that passport office will have to close, too. And they voted last night to keep the military running.

We're hoping that it won't last long, and that there will be retroactive pay for employees, but dh said they're not promising that. We'll just have to wait and see. The last government shutdown was about 15 years ago, and lasted for three weeks.

GetReal

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 9:43 am

In short, Congress had to pass a new budget by last night and they didn't, so there is no funding to keep the federal government running. But most of it is "essential" so it's open anyway. Non-essential offices are shut down and workers are staying home.

This happened because the House tried to connect Obamacare to the budget - only pass the budget if it's pushed off another year. But the Senate wouldn't pass it. So no budget, no funding. I feel so bad for the federal employees who are the pawns in this Sad

Miri1

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 11:43 am

well, I just hit a wall trying to look up nutritional information on the USDA website.

"Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available. After funding has been restored, please allow some time for this website to become available again."

How long is this expected to last?

greenfire

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 12:09 pm

so the government is striking ... I guess it's not just teachers ...

why do you even bother to vote ... it's no good it's no good baby it's no good

mandr

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 12:52 pm

All about the shutdown:

1. What causes a shutdown? Under the Constitution, Congress must pass laws to spend money. If Congress can't agree on a spending bill — or if, in the case of the Clinton-era shutdowns, the president vetoes it — the government does not have the legal authority to spend money.

2. What's a continuing resolution? Congress used to spend money by passing a budget first, then 12 separate appropriations bills. That process has broken down, and Congress uses a stopgap continuing resolution, or CR, that maintains spending at current levels for all or part of the year.

3. Why can't Congress agree? The Republican-controlled House has passed a spending bill that maintains spending levels but does not provide funding to implement the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The Democratic Senate insists that the program be fully funded and that Congress pass what they call a "clean" CR.

4. What is a "clean" CR? A continuing resolution without policy changes.

5. Why is this happening now? The government runs on a fiscal year from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. Shutdowns can happen at other times of the year when Congress passes a partial-year spending bill.

6. Could government agencies ignore the shutdown? Under a federal law known as the Anti-Deficiency Act, it can be a felony to spend taxpayer money without an appropriation from Congress.

7. When would a shutdown begin? When the fiscal year ends at midnight Monday. Most federal workers would report to work Tuesday, but unless they're deemed "essential," they would work no more than four hours on shutdown-related activities before being furloughed.

8. When would the shutdown end? Immediately after the president signs a spending bill. As a practical matter, it could be noon the following day before most government offices that were shut down would reopen their doors.

9. How many times has the government shut down in the past? Since 1977, there have been 17 shutdowns, according to the Congressional Research Service.

10. How long do shutdowns usually last? Most last no more than three days. Some last less than a day.

11. When was the longest shutdown in history? The longest was also the most recent: from Dec. 16, 1995, through Jan. 5, 1996. That's 21 days.

12. Would this shutdown be different from those in the 1990s? Yes. When the 1995 shutdown started, Congress had already passed three of 13 appropriations bills. (They funded military construction, agriculture, and energy and water projects.) Also, more government services are automated.

mandr

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 12:52 pm

Has anyone had success with the NY State of Health website?

flowerpower

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 1:17 pm

Should I be embarassed for our country right now?

Barbara

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 1:19 pm

DrMom wrote:

Too bad they won't shut down the White House.

The White House, of course, has nothing to do with this shutdown. Its all Congress.

The House is set on passing a Farm Bill that guts the food stamp program, and that defunds Obamacare for at least a year. The Senate won't do it (and Obama would not sign it if they did, but since they didn't, its not on him. I should also note that the farm bill the Senate passed had bipartisan support.) Hence the USDA shutdown. Food stamps, BTW, will continue, AIUI, but WIC will not, at least not with federal funds.

Similarly, on the budget as a whole, its primarily Obamacare. If the Democrats won't agree to gut it, then the Republicans won't pass a budget.

Me, I'm worried for a close friend. Her spouse is a federal employee who will probably be furloughed. And my friend is undergoing cancer treatments. I don't know how this will affect her, or if it will. And she is terrified that if Obamacare is gutted, she will be unable to get health insurance in the future, as her cancer will be a pre-existing condition. My elderly father also relies upon VA healthcare for medications.

marina

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 1:22 pm

Quote:

3. Why can't Congress agree? The Republican-controlled House has passed a spending bill that maintains spending levels but does not provide funding to implement the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The Democratic Senate insists that the program be fully funded and that Congress pass what they call a "clean" CR.

Look, dudes. You fought against Obamacare and you lost. Then you fought some more and lost again. Stop being babies and get over it. The country is pissed at you now, not Obama.

Barbara

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 1:23 pm

flowerpower wrote:

Should I be embarassed for our country right now?

Are you American? Then the answer is yes.

chocolate chips

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 3:47 pm

I just keep thinking of the scene in West Wing where they shut down the government and cannot believe it's actually happening in real life LOL.

My mother claims Obama must have watched too much west wing Wink

Im not american so Im not embarassed per se but I do feel like a fool for living in such a country that is losing control!

greenfire

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 4:05 pm

http://news.yahoo.com/governme......html

June

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 4:06 pm

why can't the shutdown extend to the congressmen & women's salaries? they're not working for us; we shouldn't be paying them.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Oct 01 2013, 4:15 pm

flowerpower wrote:

Should I be embarassed for our country right now?

I've been embarrassed ever since I figured out that our President is an empty suit with empty promises. I feel like I've been duped, big time.

I WANT MY VOTE BACK!