U.S. government funding lapsed Friday as Congress' efforts to pass a spending bill fizzled out in the Senate for the second time in less than a month.
Despite bipartisan support for a massive budget agreement, Congress failed to approve a funding plan before the midnight Thursday deadline. It is just the latest example of gridlock on Capitol Hill during the current GOP-controlled Congress.
In this case, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., blocked repeated moves to vote on the measure over concerns about massive spending increases contained in the budget deal. Paul called the spending reckless and pushed for a vote on an amendment to reinstate budget caps, which Senate leadership did not allow.
The funding lapse may not last long. The Senate is expected to pass the bipartisan funding agreement early Friday morning, followed by the House later in the morning.
With Paul blocking every attempt to make the vote earlier, the earliest the Senate could start a series of votes was 1 a.m. Friday. Senate leaders were confident they had the support to pass the legislation on Friday morning.
What happens in a U.S. government shutdown?
The U.S. Congress failed to pass a stopgap funding measure to avert a government shutdown before a midnight deadline on Thursday, technically triggering the start of a shutdown.
The shutdown may be brief if the Senate and House of Representatives move quickly in the early morning hours of Friday, possibly ending before the start of the federal workday.
Here is what happened in 2013, and what officials said in January could happen during a sustained shutdown:
MILITARY: The Defense Department said in January a shutdown would not affect the U.S. military’s war in Afghanistan or its operations against Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria. All military personnel on active duty would remain on normal duty status. Civilian personnel in non-essential operations would be furloughed. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said a sustained funding impasse would cause ships to go without maintenance and aircraft to be grounded.
JUSTICE: The Justice Department has many essential workers. Under its shutdown contingency plan, about 95,000 of the department’s almost 115,000 staff would keep working.
FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT: The stock market-policing Securities and Exchange Commission funds itself by collecting fees from the financial industry, but its budget is set by Congress. It has said in the past it would be able to continue operations temporarily in a shutdown. But it would have to furlough workers if Congress went weeks before approving new funding.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission would have to furlough 95 percent of its employees immediately. They could be called back in the event of a financial market emergency.
TRAVEL: Airline passengers are not expected to feel much impact. The Transportation Security Administration plans to have 53,865 of its 58,295 employees ready to work during the shutdown, said the Department of Homeland Security. Air traffic control will not be affected, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
HEALTHCARE: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will continue to process applications for open enrollment, and the Medicare program for the elderly and disabled is expected to continue functioning largely without disruption, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to continue providing “minimal support” during the shutdown. The CDC has said it will continue to respond to influenza outbreaks, including analyzing the data being reported by states.
ENERGY: The Department of Energy said on Friday that since most of its appropriations are for multiple years, employees should report to work as normal during a shutdown until told otherwise. If there was a prolonged lapse in funding a “limited number” of workers may be placed on furlough.
Reference: CNBC, Reuters
Read More: https://www.reuters.com/
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