Explainer: The Government Narrowly Avoided a Shutdown. Now What?
Congress passed a temporary deal to extend government funding until November 17th, with $16 billion allocated for disaster relief but no funding for Ukraine. A government shutdown looms if Congress fails to approve a budget for the upcoming year, affecting various federal agencies and employees, with essential services continuing but employees working without pay.
On Saturday, September 30th, Congress passed a temporary deal or continuing resolution to extend government funding at the current levels until November 17th, so they have to approve a budget for next year or risk shutting down the government again. The deal, also called a stopgap measure, included $16 billion in additional funding for disaster relief but omitted funding to Ukraine. All other government programs, like SNAP, national museums and parks, and other federally funded projects, will continue to operate until November 17th.
So, what is a government shutdown?
A government shutdown occurs when Congress cannot agree on funding for federal agencies before a set deadline for the following year. Certain agencies can’t function without funding, and employees are suspended or work without pay until the shutdown is over.
According to the Antideficiency Act of 1884, updated in 1950, Congress must approve funding for federal agencies before they can spend money on their programming. The President first submits a proposed budget for the following year to Congress. The House and Senate Budget Committees must then review the budget and offer their own resolution, which the rest of Congress votes on.
If Congress cannot agree on a budget for the different federal agencies before a set deadline, the government must shut down since the agencies no longer operate without funding. Specific federal programs, like Medicare and Social Security, will continue to operate because they receive funding from other Congressional laws.
Essential jobs like air traffic controllers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), law enforcement, and employees in national defense will continue working as well. However, these employees won’t be paid for the shutdown’s duration. Instead, the employees will receive backpay once the shutdown ends, along with temporarily suspended government employees from other agencies. The National Parks and cultural institutions like the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., and the National Zoo will probably close during a shutdown because they will not receive any funding.
Next Steps
Congress has until November 17th to pass a funding bill for the near year, which involves a series of meetings to compromise on which agencies and programs to fund. For example, Republicans and Democrats continue to argue about providing for Ukraine during its war against Russia, which has become a significant point of contention that has prevented agreement on the budget.
Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy was removed from his position as Speaker of the House on October 3rd as most representatives disagreed with his leadership approach for different reasons. The House of Representatives has yet to elect a new Speaker.
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Reference and Further Reading.
Ken Tran, Sudiksha Kochi, and Savannah Kucha. USA Today. From fights to a miracle: How Congress averted a government shutdown. 1 October 2023.
Susan Page. USA Today. Dodging a government shutdown was a stunner. Could it also be an omen? 1 October 2023.
David Wessel. Brookings. What is a government shutdown? 1 October 2023.
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Appropriations 101. 13 June 2023.
Katie Wadington. The Hill. Government shutdown impacts: air travel to taxes, national security to national parks. 30 September 2023.
Al Jazeera. Kevin McCarthy removed as US House speaker in unprecedented vote | Politics News. 3 October 2023.
NBC News. House speaker vote live updates: 9 Republican candidates join the race after Jim Jordan drops out. 23 October 2023.
