What Happens Now That The Government Has Shut Down?

The U.S. authorities formally shut down at midnight after congressional lawmakers failed to achieve an settlement on authorities funding. The battle between Democratic and Republican legislators largely revolves round healthcare cuts and Obamacare subsidies, and now the blue and pink events are scrambling responsible one another for the shutdown, with Democrats noting that Republicans management each chambers of Congress in addition to the White Home, and Republicans mendacity about Democrats holding out as a result of they need to give undocumented immigrants free healthcare.

However earlier than we get into all of that, what precisely does a authorities shutdown imply? What occurs now?

So, at 12 a.m. on Wednesday, the U.S. authorities formally started its new fiscal yr, which implies funding for all authorities operations from the earlier yr has expired. Right here’s what which means for presidency staff, in accordance with Al Jazeera:

When the federal government shuts down, companies should “furlough” – droop or discharge – their “non-excepted” – or non-essential – staff.

These furloughed staff obtain no pay at some point of the shutdown. As soon as the federal government resumes operations, most will obtain again pay, due to a 2019 invoice handed by Congress enshrining this into regulation.

That regulation makes no point out of contract employees, nevertheless, that means cleansing employees and different contractors working in affected authorities departments and companies will solely be paid if their contracting agency has budgeted for this.

“Excepted” staff are outlined as these “who shield life and property”. These important staff proceed of their jobs in the course of the shutdown however gained’t be paid till the shutdown ends.

So, a bunch of financially well-off politicians couldn’t make a deal, and, after all, it’s the on a regular basis employee who will get the shaft first, with the one upside being that authorities capabilities which can be crucial to “shield life and property” are deemed important and stay open, and the workers who present these companies nonetheless obtain a paycheck. In fact, once we get into the nitty-gritty of what’s thought-about important and what isn’t (sure, we’re mainly utilizing 2020 pandemic language yet again), issues simply type of stay regarding.

For instance, CNN famous that the Division of Training — which everyone knows the Trump administration has an agenda to dismantle anyway — stated it can furlough most of its staffers, however most Division of Homeland Safety personnel will proceed working. CNN additionally reported that federal companies “launched contingency plans detailing what’s going to proceed and what number of staff will stay on the job.”

Earlier this week, the White Home funds workplace instructed those self same federal companies to put together plans for mass firings if the federal government shut down, which ought to give us little confidence that anybody in our authorities is aware of how lengthy the shutdown will final.

“We will do issues in the course of the shutdown which can be irreversible, which can be unhealthy for them and irreversible by them, like slicing huge numbers of individuals and slicing issues that they like, slicing packages that they like,” President Donald Trump instructed reporters within the Oval Workplace on Tuesday.

Talking of Trump, our sitting president has responded to the shutdown by, as soon as once more, reminding us that what passes for presidential management has been severely — for lack of a extra subtle time period — ghettoized.

As we beforehand reported, on Monday, after last-ditch negotiations between congressional leaders didn’t end in a shutdown being averted, Trump responded by posting a racist and infantile AI-generated video displaying  Home Democratic chief Hakeem Jeffries inexplicably sporting a sombrero and a digital mustache to resemble a stereotypical Mexican man, whereas a digitally altered depiction of Senate Democratic chief Chuck Schumer rambled about how “no person likes Democrats anymore” due to “our woke, trans bulls***.” Properly, on Tuesday, after it turned clear that the federal government shutdown was occurring whether or not we prefer it or not, Trump posted one other AI video, as a result of — oh, I don’t know — it’s both that or do one thing that exhibits competent management, which simply ain’t Trump’s presidential wheelhouse.

From Newsweek:

The brand new video, simply 14 seconds lengthy, begins with real footage of Jeffries saying in a tv interview: “It’s a disgusting video and we’re going to clarify bigotry will get you nowhere,” earlier than a sombrero and mustache seem on him and a four-piece mariachi band—with Trump as all 4 members, additionally sporting sombreros—play behind him.

Because the band performs, Jeffries continues together with his real remark within the tv interview, saying: “We’re preventing to guard the well being care of the American individuals within the face of an unprecedented Republican assault.”

As we beforehand reported, congressional Democrats’ major cause for rejecting Republicans’ spending invoice, which had already handed the Republican-controlled Home, is that Democrats have been pushing for an extension to Inexpensive Care Act tax credit which have backed medical health insurance for hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents and migrants who’re at present within the nation legally. In the meantime, Republican leaders, together with GOP lawmakers, Trump, Vice President JD Vance, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and White Home Deputy Chief of Employees Stephen Miller, have been spreading the MAGA gospel that the funding deal really fell by means of as a result of Democrats wished to provide free healthcare and tax subsidies to “illegals.”