Government shutdown: Be prepared, not scared!

In the meantime, government agencies that should be focusing on the work of the taxpayers are in the midst of shutdown planning. The spending bill makes up the federal budget or the continuing resolutions that spread federal spending beyond the fiscal year.

“We are working hard to avoid a government shutdown, but if it comes our bill would protect federal workers from the worst of the consequences”, Beyer said in the release.

So, what’s next? Well, for now, Democratic and Republican lawmakers are at a standstill. Democrats have also demanded increased funding for natural disaster recovery. Between the House and the Senate re-doing and re-passing the ACA back and forth, Congress could not pass a viable spending bill. Then-President George H.W. Bush, after a compromise with the Democrats in the Congress, had increased tax rates despite promising not to during his 1989 campaign, leading to a revolt in the House. However, the department will cease some activities, such as issuing new or replacement Social Security cards.

The White House and Congress failed to reach a deal on funding the federal government, leading to a partial shutdown that began early Saturday.

So what will affect you? And Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood stayed open, but burials took place on a reduced schedule.

Apply a “many, but not all” philosophy to government functions.

The list of people who will be furloughed is long.

Frustrations were just as high outside the State Department, where furloughed employees came to the office to conduct what was being called an “orderly shutdown” – writing out-of-office email messages, canceling appointments and securing files. But there may not be enough bodies to prevent delays. Only essential services such as national security, post, air traffic control, disaster assistance, taxation, medical services and few others run until a fresh decision is reached. The Smithsonian Institution’s museums in Washington and the National Zoo are expected to remain open for the weekend but will close on Monday if the government remains shut.

Also since 1990, the funding gaps have produced shutdowns longer than a day.

Shutdown lengths have ranged from several days to three weeks.

“I am extremely disappointed that some made the reckless decision to shut down our government tonight”, Republican Rep. David Reichert said in statement issued Friday night.

But what does a government shutdown really mean for you and your everyday life? This time around, the shutdown furloughed more than 200,000 workers and reportedly cost the government more than $1.4 billion. An official government estimate said it shaved 0.3% percentage points off of the nation’s gross domestic product that quarter, the broad measure of overall economic activity. During the 2013 shutdown, over 800,000 federal employees’ wages were furloughed. “Now I get why people hate the government”. Will my Medicare still work?

“Here in MA, you shouldn’t expect major disruptions”, Horowitz said.

Active duty military personnel are not furloughed during a such down and “essential services” such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security continue.

Although they’ve become more or less a feature of politics in Washington, shutdowns are costly, inconvenient, and hardly a sign of efficient governance. The Senate will be an even tougher venue for a spending bill, because 60 votes are needed.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be staffed at about 78 percent, meaning more than 15,000 of the agency’s employees will keep working.

Under President Barack Obama, the government shut down for 16 days in 2013. And in CT, 13 Head Start programs serving 320 children were shut down.

Here’s how stocks performed during each major government shutdown to date. A program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to track flu outbreaks was temporarily halted in 2013.

According to tentative plans, national parks and museums will remain open, but some public employees at the parks could be furloughed. Multi-state attractions like the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail will also close.

I’m flying out of country.

Passports could be delayed if the shutdown lags on.

The US Postal Service has its own independent sources of funding, so it remains open, as does the Federal Reserve. So-called “death benefit” payments to families of deceased service members were delayed, and processing of things like federal loan and permit applications were put on hold.

But members of Congress will still get paychecks, under two parts of the Constitution. For other civilian government employees, they will likely be furloughed until the government returns.