Barack and Congressional leaders came to terms on avoiding a federal government shutdown. Congressman Jim Himes sent the following letter to chief executives in Connecticut’s 4th Congressional District just in case a shutdown had occurred:
As you probably know from the news reports, it unfortunately appears increasingly likely that the federal government will experience a “shutdown” starting midnight Friday. It has been disheartening to watch the failure to reach the kind of bipartisan agreement that so many of our constituents want.
I suspect that you and your office will receive inquiries about exactly what a federal government shutdown would entail. I am writing to try to provide some clarity in that regard, though I will note that there is still considerable uncertainty about what may and may not be affected.
By way of background, the federal government is currently operating under a Continuing Resolution that provides funding through April 8, 2011. Absent congressional action to extend funding authority for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year, there will be a federal funding gap for all federal agencies. When these funding gaps occur, the federal government begins a “shutdown,” which is managed under guidance provided in the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Circular No. A-11. [1]
The circular identifies an immediate shutdown effect–furlough of certain federal employees–and directs agency heads to develop and maintain shutdown plans that include so-called “excepted” activities that will continue even during a funding gap. Unfortunately, the Administration has not made these shutdown plans public, thus it is difficult to ascertain the practical effects of a shutdown later this year.
Most importantly, activities that are deemed “essential” will continue. This will include anything related to the preservation of life and property such as our military, intelligence and security activities, air traffic control, law enforcement, border patrol, the functions of the federal court system, and the provision of critical health benefits through the Medicare, Medicaid, and VA systems. It is not anticipated that there will be any interruption in mail delivery or the delivery of Social Security monies.
Although the effects on the public of any future shutdown would not necessarily reflect past experience, past events may be illustrative of effects that are possible.
Examples reported in congressional hearings, news media, and agency accounts include:
• Health. New patients were not accepted into clinical research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical center; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ceased disease surveillance; and hotline calls to NIH concerning diseases were not answered.
• Law Enforcement and Public Safety. Delays occurred in the processing of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives applications by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; work on more than 3,500 bankruptcy cases reportedly was suspended; cancellation of the recruitment and testing of federal law-enforcement officials reportedly occurred, including the hiring of 400 border patrol agents; and delinquent child-support cases were delayed.
• Parks, Museums, and Monuments. Closure of 368 National Park Service sites (loss of 7 million visitors) reportedly occurred, with loss of tourism revenues to local communities; and closure of national museums and monuments (reportedly with an estimated loss of 2 million visitors) occurred.
• Visas and Passports. Approximately 20,000-30,000 applications by foreigners for visas reportedly went unprocessed each day; 200,000 U.S. applications for passports reportedly went unprocessed; and U.S. tourist industries and airlines reportedly sustained millions of dollars in losses.
• American Veterans. Multiple services were curtailed, ranging from health and welfare to finance and travel.
• Federal Contractors. Of $18 billion in Washington, DC, area contracts, $3.7 billion (over 20%) reportedly were affected adversely by the funding lapse; the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) was unable to issue a new standard for lights and lamps that was scheduled to be effective January 1, 1996, possibly resulting in delayed product delivery and lost sales; and employees of federal contractors reportedly were furloughed without pay.[2]
As the Washington Post concluded, however, “much has changed since the 1990s. Most federal benefits are now directly deposited, many veterans’ [sic] services are on multi-year budgets not impacted by the current stalemate, and the Obama administration may interpret essential services differently than their predecessors.”
Given the uncertainty surrounding whether the Congress and Administration can agree to a deal averting a shutdown, as well as uncertainty surrounding how this Administration might handle a shutdown, I invite each of you to stay in close contact with me and my office in the coming days.
Stutting down the government didn’t accomplish anything for the conservative rebellion led by Newt Gingrich, other than the enmity of the working and middle classes. One of the sticking points appears to concern abortion, that hoary old fossil. So this is really an attempt by the GOP to enforce their short-sighted view of morality on everyone else.
Will “Let the Good Himes Roll” take a free pass on his pay if the govt. shuts down?
*** What can the average taxpayer do regardless; you get what you vote for, no? *** MONEY, THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL BUT THE ANSWER TO ALL OUR PROBLEMS. ***
Doesn’t the federal government have a “Rainy Day” account like the city of BPT used to have before Finch ate it?
Bridgeport’s rainy day fund was pissed away on pasta nights at Testo’s.
Ergo Antitesto.
The only one who cares is Bloomy.
The taxpayers are the Fed’s rainy day fund!!!
And the taxpayers are the State’s and Bridgeport’s rainy day fund. We’re going to hear it’s OK for Bridgeport to defer pension contributions because the State legislature said it’s OK. As in Simon says “Don’t pay any more money for pensions this year, and next year and the year after and you can call it a budget cut” and the City says May I and does it.
Well who will put a lock on the “rainy day fund” so it does not get spent for things that can be anticipated, should be planned for conservatively and still get spent when there is not a cloud in the sky. Who’s got a lock in terms of language for our rainy day “unrestricted fund balance” account? And who can provide a way of knowing what it registers, month in and month out rather than only one time per year?
But A+ to North End Girl for understanding the dynamics of what is truly going on.
BEACON2, you missed the Mayor’s Budget to City council. There is an interesting revelation related to the rainy day fund:
mayors-budget-to-city-council
Joel Gonzalez // Apr 7, 2011 at 1:03 am
Anyone care to explain this? Paging BEACON2.
“· No one-time revenues. The budget contains no one-time revenues.”
“· Fund balance increase. The City of Bridgeport’s fund balance also continues to increase. The City has adopted a new fund balance policy to help re-build the fund balance by mandating all future one-time revenues be deposited into the fund.”
By the way, what is the fund balance total as of April 5, 2011?
Joel,
I was in the audience with a copy of the Mayor’s letter to accompany the budget. He mostly read his letter. Occasionally he departed from the prepared notes. For instance he mentioned 40,000 calls to CitiStat. Sounds like a lot of calls to me. What were the calls about? What efficiencies were effected as a result of those calls? Were there five calls for every issue because no one ever got back? Easy to say something, but where can you verify the real story?
“No one-time revenues.” Well supposedly the idea of “sale leaseback of City Hall” is not in this budget, and that would seem to be one-time revenue. I noted the $11 Million Federal grant for infrastructure for Steel Point was mentioned by the Mayor’s budget letter and also by Tom Sherwood on Wednesday to B&A but where is the word that supposed Congressional restriction of said funds reported in the media was countermanded?
If property that is owned by the City is sold, I would suggest this is “one-time revenue,” but some may disagree. There is an inherent difficulty in selling most City property. Look at Black Rock Bank and Trust that housed the Black Rock Arts Center. City fought hard to get that program out of the property, didn’t it? Well who has been paying for heat, lights, sidewalks, general upkeep for the duration? So when one-time revenues don’t work out, you get regular expenses paid by the taxpayer.
“Fund balance increase.” When you say something continues to increase, but it is not a budget line item with full regular funding, then the fact that it happens at all (City has greater revenue than expenses during a Fiscal Year) may be termed an accident, as in “accidental fund balance increase.” Ask your Council rep what the fund balance increase is, and on what report they saw the number posted. And then the second time they saw it? Did it go up $1, $1,000 or $1 Million? Does the number seem respectable compared to what the Charter calls for? Is the claim by the Mayor accurate, but not material?
I posted today in a different article and asked how do we keep funds deposited in the “rainy day” account locked up and preserved for emergencies only. Seems the road from Ganim when the balance was $55 Million to Finch $10 Million had a few emergencies, but can you remember what the $45 Million was actually spent on??? What a shame!
“… I invite each of you to stay in close contact with me and my office in the coming days.”
Why, Himes? That’s what we have OIB and the internet for–to keep us informed.
What was the fund balance before Mario Testa, through his gleaming intermediary Bill Finch, got his greasy little paws on it?
Jim Himes, for all his positive qualities as a Congressman, owes at least part of his political career to Mario Testa and the DTC electoral machine. You know, the precinct captains who cart all the drug addicts and alcoholics and dead people to the polling places.