Government Shutdown Resources

This press release from Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) was published on 2023-09-29 and titled "Government Shutdown Resources".

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; military personnel; and power grid workers. There are a few exceptions to which federal workers will report to work and will receive pay during the shutdown. This is because the agencies they work for are either self-funded, or they have received enough funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, or they are mandated by law to continue to receive pay, and therefore will continue to operate as normal. Can Federal Employees and Contractors obtain unemployment compensation? Federal workers and contractors who are furloughed have a right to apply for unemployment benefits—even if they believe they will get their jobs back. Federal contractors are eligible for benefits under their state UI program here https://edd.ca.gov/en/unemployment/ . Federal workers can apply for Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) , a federal/state program in which eligibility and benefits are mostly determined by state law, and applications are filed with the state UI agency. It is critical that workers understand that if they apply for and receive benefits, but later receive back pay (as most federal employees, but not most contractors, have after previous shutdowns), they will have to repay the UI benefits they received. Since 2019, all federal employees (but not contractors) are guaranteed back-pay whether they were deemed essential or furloughed. I’m not a Federal Employee, how will the government shutdown affect me? Various federal government programs will experience varying degrees of impact, described below: Social Security Seniors will still receive their Social Security checks during a government shutdown. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit payments will continue through the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2026. However, seniors applying for retirement claims and those seeking customer service help are all likely to experience longer wait times due to staff furloughs and longstanding staffing shortages. SSA field offices and the national 1-800 number will be staffed and open, but the public should anticipate longer wait times. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will continue taking and processing benefit applications, issuing or replacing SSN cards, and responding to most customer problems. However, there are several customer services at SSA that will be discontinued, including the processing of in-person or phone requests for “benefit verifications,” which are used by beneficiaries needing proof of incom