During the ongoing government shutdown, essential federal employees are still tending to their duties, navigating the complexities that come with coordinated operations across various agencies.
Agencies like the US Postal Service (USPS), Veterans Affairs medical centers, and certain service members are operating daily, alongside air traffic controllers and border protection staff.
Here’s a rundown of what’s happening with government work amid the shutdown:
What services and programs will continue?
Services that aren’t dependent on the annual budget invoice will remain accessible to the public. This includes critical payments like Social Security, veteran benefits, disaster relief, and Medicare and Medicaid, although some individuals might experience interruptions.
In these shutdowns, some employees may find themselves either fasting or working without pay until normal operations resume.
Government contractors will be left without refunds, and the exact number of employees facing job loss during this period remains uncertain. However, previous shutdowns have had a pronounced economic impact, as noted by the Congressional Budget Office. They estimated that the 2018-2019 shutdown under President Trump cost the US economy around $11 billion.
Which services and programs will be temporarily suspended?
While the shutdown is in effect, some services will be on hold. This includes programs managed by the National Park Service, federal grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, and clinical trials run by the National Institutes of Health.
Additionally, early childhood education programs may face temporary suspensions due to a halt in federal grant funding. Support through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program could also be paused in some states, and there might be disruptions in local services like garbage collection and road maintenance.
Student financial aid will be affected as well, including delays in processing FAFSA applications and disbursements for Pell Grants. Students are still expected to meet their loan obligations during this time.
Tours at significant sites such as the Capitol, the White House, and the Supreme Court will be canceled until the end of the shutdown. Interestingly, the Smithsonian museums have found a way to stay open for now, using leftover funds from the previous fiscal year.
Moreover, applications for federal gun permits will not be processed during this period.
What can President Trump approve or enact during the closure?
President Trump has authority over federal agencies, and he has indicated plans to utilize this power during the shutdown.
He remarked that “we can do things that are irreversible during the closure, which could be detrimental to them,” referring to opposition Democrats.
Adding to this, he mentioned the potential for significant cuts, suggesting substantial changes could occur within the government framework.
Prior to the shutdown, the White House Budget Management Office instructed federal agencies to get ready for possible mass layoffs.
However, a recent lawsuit from the Federal Labor Union attempts to block the administration from proceeding with large-scale job cuts during the shutdown.
