White House prepares for shutdown as GOP lawmakers struggle for an alternative
Erica Werner, Damian Paletta, Lisa Rein
Evan Vucci/AP In this Dec. 11, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
The White House and a number of federal agencies have started advanced preparations for a partial government shutdown, as President Trump and congressional Democrats appear unlikely to resolve their fight over a border wall before some government funding lapses at week’s end.
GOP leaders are scrambling to find a short-term alternative that could stave off a shutdown, which would start on Dec. 22 absent a deal. But White House officials signaled to lawmakers Friday that they would probably not support a one- or two-week stopgap measure. Some congressional Republicans support such a “continuing resolution,” but the White House rejection has dramatically increased the odds of a spending lapse.
“We could be headed down the road to nowhere,” said Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.). “We’ll have a [continuing resolution] rather than a shutdown, I hope.”
]Subscribe to the Post Most newsletter: Today’s most popular stories on The Washington Post
Several budget experts believe a partial shutdown, which would impact agencies that manage law enforcement, homeland security, housing and other programs, could drag on for days, if not weeks. That is in part because Trump believes the final days of the existing Congress are his best chance to extract $5 billion in funds to partially build a wall along the Mexico border. In early January, Democrats take control of the House of Representatives, giving them more control over the process.
Multiple agencies and senior administration officials are preparing for the possibility that about a quarter of the government — and more than one-third of federal workers — could be left without funding.
The agencies themselves are providing scant information about what they will do if their funding lapses, and with the deadline days away, mass confusion remains about what would actually happen in a partial government shutdown.
The Statue of Liberty, for example, closed to thousands of visitors during a brief government funding lapse in January. National parks across the country stayed open, though without visitor centers and fees and with only minimal emergency staff.
National Park Service officials confirmed Friday that parks would stay open this time — but they declined to say whether the Statue of Liberty would again close.
“We are not going to speculate on any possible change in government operations,” Jerry Willis, a spokesman for the national park that encompasses the Statue of Liberty, wrote in a text message. He referred questions to the Park Service, where another spokesman wrote an identical message in response to an inquiry.
The lack of clarity on all fronts is seizing Washington just ahead of the Christmas holiday and as Democrats prepare to take control of the House of Representatives, illustrating how jarring the transition in power could be next year.
Trump and some of his conservative allies on Capitol Hill view this as their last, best chance to deliver on the long-promised wall before they lose their grip on power, and they are reluctant to let the moment pass. But Democrats feel no pressure to give in to Trump’s demands weeks before they will assume control of the House.
At the same time, a number of Republicans are cringing at the possibility that their two years in control of Congress and the White House could end, shamefully, in a partial shutdown of the government they command. From the sidelines, rank-and-file Republicans are urging Trump and Democratic leaders to find a compromise between Trump’s demands for $5 billion for his border wall — even though he long claimed Mexico would pay for it — and Democrats’ insistence that they will spend no more than $1.3 billion on fencing.
“I’m sorry that we’re in this situation, because the American people deserve better from both sides,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.). “Everybody that’s at the leadership level, and I include the president and the Democrats, are putting their perceived political interests ahead of a solution, and ahead of what’s good for the American people. And, you know, no wonder people don’t like this place.”
The standoff intensified following an outlandish televised meeting on Tuesday with Trump, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). During their encounter, the president and his Democratic antagonists doubled down on their demands, and Trump declared he would be proud to shut down the government over border security.
There have not been any serious bipartisan talks since.
About 75 percent of the portion of the federal budget controlled by Congress has been funded through next September, including the Pentagon, Veterans Affairs and the Health and Human Services Department.
But the other 25 percent is operating on a short-term funding extension that runs out Friday at midnight. Unless a deal is reached, the departments of the Interior, Agriculture, State, Housing and Urban Development, Treasury, Commerce, and Homeland Security would lose funding. So would numerous smaller, independent agencies, including the Peace Corps, the Small Business Administration, the National Archives, the Environmental Protection Agency and the General Services Administration.
These agencies’ budgets were supposed to have been approved by last October.
About 800,000 of the 2.1 million federal employees across the country would be affected since their offices would lose funding to operate. About 40 percent of them would be sent home without pay, with the rest staying on the job because their work is considered essential to the functioning of the government, according to Capitol Hill aides and the contingency plans the agencies have filed with the Office of Management and Budget.
Federal agencies that will run out of funding were supposed to be notified Friday to begin activating their contingency plans. The plan provides the contours of what a partial shutdown would look like, even as the administration has issued little in the way of public guidance.
One reason for the confusion is that White House budget director Mick Mulvaney has given federal agencies much more leeway to remain open during a shutdown than his predecessors did. For example, he has directed national parks to remain open as they did during the brief shutdown last January, although visitor centers would be closed because their staffs would be sent home, and law enforcement would be minimal. Some agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, have been directed to draw on reserve funding to keep employees at work instead of sending them home indefinitely without pay.
It is unclear if the White House will follow a similar approach this time, as multiple officials declined to comment. And Trump on Friday announced Mulvaney would be elevated to serve as acting chief of staff when the current chief, John F. Kelly, steps down at year’s end.
A partial government shutdown could portend bigger problems for Washington into 2019, as upcoming deadlines will repeatedly require Trump and Democrats to reach deals.
Capital Economics, a research firm, wrote in a note Friday that “the biggest downside risk (to the economy) is a prolonged federal government shutdown that morphs into a full-blown debt crisis sometime in the first half of next year.”
The White House and Congress will have to reach an agreement to raise or suspend the debt ceiling at some point next year, and Trump has not yet had to do this at a time when Democrats had any control over a chamber of Congress. Financial markets can become very unsettled when Washington dithers over raising the debt ceiling, and Trump had — before becoming president — suggested that the debt ceiling should not be raised.
Even a partial shutdown would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost productivity, with federal employees likely to be paid for staying home. Other shutdown-related expenses would include revenue from fees and costs charged contractors for stop-work orders, for example.
In light of the potential for a shutdown, some Republicans have begun downplaying its impacts, suggesting that even if it did occur the public might hardly notice.
“Obviously we want to avoid a government shutdown, but if you look at what the real-world consequences would be, I think this shutdown would be different because we have funded most of the government, because President Trump has said he will make sure essential services continue,” said Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.). “I don’t think the American people will feel an impact from this like they may have in the past. I also think that the most important thing is we’ve got to secure our Southern border because we have a national security crisis down there.
Employees who are called to work during a shutdown do get paid but not until the government reopens.
Employees who are furloughed are in theory not guaranteed to be paid once the government reopens. But after every previous shutdown, Congress has passed legislation mandating that they be paid.
The Department of Homeland Security would keep 85 percent of its 300,000 employees on the job, largely because they perform law and immigration enforcement roles that are considered essential during a shutdown. So airport security screeners, the Coast Guard, Border Patrol agents, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would come to work, although their pay could be delayed.
But the vast majority of Housing and Urban Development’s 7,800 employees would be furloughed, as well as those at NASA.
So would the workforce of the Treasury Department, which includes the Internal Revenue Service. In the short term, the effect on the IRS would be minimal since tax season is four months away — but the agency is preparing to fully implement the complex tax legislation Congress passed last year.
The Food and Drug Administration would continue to respond to outbreaks of the flu or foodborne illnesses, but would send home more than 40 percent of its staff and would have to cease routine inspections. But most food inspection, for example of meat-processing plants, is done by the Agriculture Department, which would continue those operations in a shutdown.
About 3,600 forecasters for the National Weather Service would stay on the job, as would 5,000 Forest Service firefighters and 16,700 federal corrections officers.
But would-be homeowners would find delays as their applications for loans were backlogged by the closing of the Federal Housing Administration.
With many federal workers planning to be off the job anyway to use up their annual vacation time, the impact of a shutdown on them could be blunted.
Unions representing federal employees said Friday, though, that even a partial shutdown would cause significant disruptions to the operations of government.
J. David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, said it was wrong to minimize a potential shutdown because it would not affect the entire government.
“Picking and choosing certain agencies to stay open and leaving others to close is missing the point,” he said in a statement. “The federal government and its agencies are interconnected, the services funded by taxpayers are rightfully expected to be delivered year-round.”
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-prepares-for-shutdown-as-gop-lawmakers-struggle-for-an-alternative/ar-BBR0tT7?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=U453DHP
Today at 10:26 am by Rocky
» Kuwait is drilling an oil well near Umm Qasr, towards Iraqi territory
Today at 10:24 am by Rocky
» In the document... the first Iraqi ministry identifies the obstacles to changing the new official wo
Today at 10:22 am by Rocky
» Italian Institute: Iraq is stuck in its own crises, including Baghdad’s efforts to undermine the “au
Today at 10:21 am by Rocky
» The head of the Integrity Commission announces the holding of an international Interpol conference i
Today at 10:18 am by Rocky
» Planning: Iraqi companies are not efficient in conducting the population census
Today at 10:14 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/24/24 Support - USA- Turkey - Timing- Currency Value - Tabled
Today at 8:08 am by Rocky
» MM&C 4/25/24 National Bank of Iraq goes live with Temenos core banking and payments
Today at 8:06 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/26/24 Iraqi Dinar - US Treasury Exchange Rates- Focus - Banking Partnerships - Rate C
Today at 8:06 am by Rocky
» A banking official indicates a "danger" to Iraq by depriving more than half of its banks of dollars
Today at 7:55 am by Rocky
» With the participation of the Association of Private Banks, investment opportunities are on the tabl
Today at 7:45 am by Rocky
» Within a month... an Iranian border crossing recorded a noticeable increase in exports of goods to I
Today at 7:44 am by Rocky
» The Association of Private Banks appreciates the efforts of the government and the Central Bank to c
Today at 7:43 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki's coalition presents a third candidate for the position of governor of Diyala
Today at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Arab gathering: The Kirkuk problem is getting complicated and the Sudanese must intervene
Today at 6:56 am by Rocky
» Next week.. a Kurdish delegation will visit Baghdad to meet with the Minister of Finance
Today at 6:54 am by Rocky
» Under the pretext of salaries... Al-Party refrains from handing over port revenues to Baghdad
Today at 6:53 am by Rocky
» Association of Banks: For the first time, we are witnessing a clear targeting of depriving half of t
Today at 6:51 am by Rocky
» Parliament does not know the reason for the delay in sending the 2024 budget schedules: Voting takes
Today at 6:49 am by Rocky
» Applicants for the 2024 Hajj are demanding that the Central Bank secure the dollar for them through
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Governmental and private banks will showcase their services tomorrow during Financial Inclusion Week
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Iraq's oil exports rise despite OPEC+ cuts
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» A study explodes a "surprise"... Iraq is among the countries that export oil to "Israel": How is the
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Al-Araji emphasizes working to strengthen national identity
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani visits Saudi Arabia to participate in the World Economic Forum in Riyadh
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Iraq is talking about producing one million additional liters of gasoline
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers approves the implementation of the Baghdad Metro project
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» Minister of Commerce: We formed a joint economic committee with Türkiye
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Resources: Government measures have contributed to improving the water situation in Iraq
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: Baghdad will continue to send salaries to the region’s employees until settle
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» A parliamentarian describes the corruption of Iraqi ports as “ghouls” and reveals the involvement of
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Obelisk Hour: Basra is the subject of political conflict and ambiguity over the fate of the funds al
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Turkmen leader: An agreement on the local government of Kirkuk is near
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Anbar calls for the operation of its factories despite financial obstacles
Today at 4:44 am by Rocky
» Turki: The crisis of the Presidency of Parliament prompted the Sunnis to amend the Council’s interna
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» The Agriculture Committee confirms the existence of Iraqi-Turkish-Iranian discussions on water
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Resources diagnose the challenges facing the water file in Iraq
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Parliament pledges to the Interior Ministry: We will transfer money to buy weapons from citizens
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» Al-Issawi is the closest.. Parliament sets the date for deciding the choice of the new president
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Deputy: Iraq's investments have risen and need a comprehensive review of previous years
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Iraqis consume 7 billion eggs annually and import about $900 million
Today at 4:28 am by Rocky
» The Iranian role complicates attempts at open cooperation between Iraq and Turkey. Turkey is trying
Today at 4:26 am by Rocky
» Move in Iran to obtain $242 billion from Iraq in compensation for the eight-year war
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» 12 decisions from the Council of Ministers regarding the Baghdad Metro and Najaf-Karbala train proje
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» Sudanese Advisor: The path to development has begun... the Baka and the militias “we silence them wi
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» Not from Kurdistan.. How did Iraq become a source of oil for “Israeli tanks”?
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Agriculture criticizes the Sudanese and Erdogan agreement: Türkiye will control water
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi government issues new decisions
Yesterday at 2:35 pm by Rocky
» The story of “reduced oil” to Jordan, from “compulsion” to mutual benefit.. Is there a loss?
Yesterday at 2:33 pm by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers takes 12 decisions for the Baghdad Metro and the Najaf-Karbala train
Yesterday at 2:32 pm by Rocky
» utube MM&C 4/23/24 Iraqi Dinar - IQD Update - Development Road Project - Saviour of Global Banking
Yesterday at 10:18 am by Rocky
» Kidney from pig transplanted into deathly ill New Jersey woman — and begins working almost immediat
Yesterday at 10:15 am by Bama Diva
» The most difficult option.. Warnings of the danger of floating the Iraqi dinar without achieving an
Yesterday at 9:48 am by Rocky
» Trade from the “Economic Committee” with Türkiye: It will overcome all obstacles facing the traders
Yesterday at 9:46 am by Rocky
» Washington's hope for stable relations with Baghdad clashes with Iraqi parties' rejection of the Ame
Yesterday at 9:41 am by Rocky
» Karim Badr: Development is America’s will to kill silk
Yesterday at 9:36 am by Rocky
» Oil: Opening of a new port for liquid gas for vehicles in Baghdad
Yesterday at 9:33 am by Rocky
» A media advisor warns of corruption in a draft law on the Parliament’s agenda
Yesterday at 9:21 am by Rocky
» Economist: There is serious work to lift US sanctions on Iraqi banks
Yesterday at 9:16 am by Rocky
» Will the agreements signed with the US Treasury reflect positively on the exchange rates?
Yesterday at 7:52 am by Rocky
» Iraq continues its quest to join the World Trade Organization
Yesterday at 7:51 am by Rocky
» Iraq completes the completion of the files for the initial offer of goods and services to join the W
Yesterday at 7:50 am by Rocky
» Economist: Travelers' dollars are leaking into the parallel market...and this is what the Central Ba
Yesterday at 7:32 am by Rocky
» President of the Federal Court: It is not permissible to force anyone to join any party, and the pol
Yesterday at 7:30 am by Rocky
» The Council of Ministers holds its session headed by Al-Sudani
Yesterday at 7:27 am by Rocky
» America weakens Baghdad...and increases Kurdistan's military capabilities
Yesterday at 7:26 am by Rocky
» The Iraqi government plans to build 10,000 schools throughout the country
Yesterday at 7:23 am by Rocky
» American threats close the Iraqi Stock Exchange at a loss
Yesterday at 7:21 am by Rocky
» Increase in external transfers at the Central Bank
Yesterday at 7:20 am by Rocky
» Al-Maliki calls on Britain to cancel restrictions on the entry of its companies into Iraq
Yesterday at 7:18 am by Rocky
» Planning and the European Union are discussing signing a number of agreements in the development, en
Yesterday at 7:16 am by Rocky
» Parliament talks about the mechanism for recovering smuggled funds and hints at the next stage
Yesterday at 7:13 am by Rocky
» Interior Ministry: The number of completed national cards reached 37 million cards
Yesterday at 7:06 am by Rocky
» Amnesty International: Violations of freedom and human rights continue in Iraq and the Kurdistan Reg
Yesterday at 7:04 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Oil: The government is proceeding with the decision to raise the price of improved gas
Yesterday at 7:03 am by Rocky
» A parliamentary committee in Basra to investigate violations of the port company and the local gover
Yesterday at 7:00 am by Rocky
» Revealing the 10 most important American exports to Iraq
Yesterday at 5:31 am by Rocky
» A noticeable increase in the rate of Iraq's import of Chinese cooling devices
Yesterday at 5:30 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: Working on projects without completing the infrastructure is a waste of money
Yesterday at 5:28 am by Rocky
» Iraq.. Extending the deadline for registration procedures on plots of land
Yesterday at 5:27 am by Rocky
» What is the main purpose of conducting the population census in Iraq?
Yesterday at 5:25 am by Rocky
» A plan to transform Iraq from a barren land to green with 5 million trees
Yesterday at 5:24 am by Rocky
» The Housing Fund announces the acceptance of more than 11 thousand loans through the Ur platform
Yesterday at 5:23 am by Rocky
» The Bank of Baghdad is moving to increase its capital to 400 billion dinars
Yesterday at 5:20 am by Rocky
» The electronic payment system will soon be adopted on Iraqi buses
Yesterday at 5:19 am by Rocky
» “It threatens our interests and destroys our economy.” An Iraqi project “irritates” the Kuwaiti stre
Yesterday at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Warning from the Central Bank about “misuse of electronic payment cards”
Yesterday at 5:17 am by Rocky
» Iraq and the Sultanate of Oman are discussing sending capacities through the Gulf countries
Yesterday at 5:16 am by Rocky
» The fact that a decision was issued to deport Syrian workers from Iraq
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» Rice comes first... America exports 10 foodstuffs worth more than 350 million dollars to Iraq
Yesterday at 5:14 am by Rocky
» A sixth licensing round for gas exploration
Yesterday at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Baghdad is preparing to host the 50th session of the Arab Labor Conference
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Scientific symposium on the future vision of the tripartite budget
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Five conversion power stations enter service in Najaf
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Planning: Conduct a population census next November
Yesterday at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Experts: Spreading misleading information harms development and investment
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Economists call for tightening money laundering laws and port controls
Yesterday at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Today's newspapers are interested in Sudanese's visit to Anbar Governorate and preparations for cond
Yesterday at 5:00 am by Rocky
» Iraq and Russia discuss cooperation between the two countries in the field of information and artifi
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky