Government Shutdown Resources

This press release from Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) was published on 2023-09-29 and titled "Government Shutdown Resources". It focuses on immigration and touches on healthcare, the economy.

Government Shutdown Resources Government Shutdown Resources Image Claire.Berry@m… Fri, 09/29/2023 - 10:58 Updated 1/25 For Rep. Chu's statement on the Republican Shutdown please click here . Translated: Arabic/ عربي , Chinese Simiplified/简体中文 , Chinese Traditional/ 中国传统 , Hindi/ हिन्दी , Korean/한국인 , Spanish/ Español , Tagalong , Vietnamese/ Tiếng Việt Please note: These resources draw on guidance from prior shutdowns and the most up-to-date information currently available from federal agencies. The Trump administration has not been fully transparent with its shutdown plans and Trump himself has made threats to manipulate a shutdown for political gain, change agency operations significantly, and use civil servants as pawns by firing them en masse as he has been all year. Funding for the federal government expired at midnight on October 1. I am working to reopen critical services for families in our community while lowering health care costs. Sadly, Republicans are continuing to push a partisan spending bill that takes health care away from working families. To help you plan for a possible federal government shutdown, my office has prepared answers to these frequently asked questions. You can also contact my office. What is a government shutdown? The Constitution grants Congress authority over the federal government’s finances, so the federal government can only spend money that is appropriated by Congress. Every year, Congress is required to approve spending bills prior to October 1, marking the start of a new fiscal year. Failure to do so by the end of September means there will be a lapse in funding, and all nonessential government functions must stop. How does this affect Federal Employees and Contractors? Currently there are 2 million federal government employees in the United States. The majority of federal workers will not report to work during the shutdown and will not be paid until the shutdown ends. These paychecks will not show up until after a funding deal is struck. Under a 2019 law, all federal workers are guaranteed to receive back-pay once the funding impasse is resolved. Federal workers and contractors who are furloughed or terminated contractors may apply for unemployment in the state where they work (see below). Other federal workers who are deemed essential to public safety will report to work during a shutdown, but these workers will not be paid or receive back pay until the government starts up again. These workers include: in-hospital medical care; border protection; air traffic controllers; law enforcement; militar