Government Shutdown

Has anyone returned this morning? Was the Customs and Immigration process slowed down? Hopefully the TSA isn't affected.

TSA, Customs and Immigration are all exempt activities. They are not affected by furloughs.

TSA, Customs and Immigration are all exempt activities. They are not affected by furloughs.

Technically your correct, but in the past these shutdowns have resulted in some slowdowns. Perhaps due to non-essential portions of these agencies being reduced.

Technically your correct, but in the past these shutdowns have resulted in some slowdowns. Perhaps due to non-essential portions of these agencies being reduced.

If they are non essential, why are they employed??:D

If they are non essential, why are they employed??:D

I worked for the U.S. federal government for several years, and I agree with you whole-heartedly.

Got off the Equinox this AM in Miami, worried about the shutdown but we had no problems getting through Customs.

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During a shutdown a few years ago, we returned to the USA from overseas and found that most of the immigration agents were assigned to process non-US citizens (contrary to normal practice) which made the US citizen lines back up. The administration was using the INS to make a political statement.

If they are non essential, why are they employed??:D

Let's see.....each airport has one extra person on duty in case one of the agents comes down with Malaria during their shift. No Malaria or some other ailment, they just sit...their job is malaria backup.

There's a second agent who is there in case the first person has to take a bathroom break and that Malaria breaks out during that break.

You get the idea........

Watching the news from the UK and I was just wondering, are there any practical problems experienced by 'ordinary' Americans? Emergency services, hospitals, refuse collection (though I don't think any of these are affected by 'Federal' shutdown)...just wondering?

Simon

What is really unfortunate are for those dedicated Reservists and National Guards -many of whom travel from parts of the country for their training. This weekend they received messages around 4 pm that their training was cancelled. Many had taken the day from their jobs and were on their way. Shame on the elected officials for their selfishness and gamesmanship.

Watching the news from the UK and I was just wondering, are there any practical problems experienced by 'ordinary' Americans? Emergency services, hospitals, refuse collection (though I don't think any of these are affected by 'Federal' shutdown)...just wondering?

 

Simon

Simon,

We have been through several shutdowns in the past 30 years or so. It doesn't impact any of the things you mentioned, except perhaps trash collection in DC.

I am a retired Federal Employee and was on furlough two or three times, but always got paid after it ended.

If they are non essential, why are they employed??:D

The folks that process passport renewals are technically “non-essential” and have been furloughed, but I think we would all be disappointed if that function were eliminated.

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And just so everyone knows worldwide, YES Federal employees are made whole and don't loose BUT contractors and sub-contractors who keep the airports and other vital places running are not. They sit home and never receive lost wages. Somehow this gets lost in the media.

We also came back from a cruise a few years ago and, yes, US Customs were told not to "man" many desks. It was chaos. Hope this ends very soon for all those concerned.

Watching the news from the UK and I was just wondering, are there any practical problems experienced by 'ordinary' Americans? Emergency services, hospitals, refuse collection (though I don't think any of these are affected by 'Federal' shutdown)...just wondering?

 

Simon

It truly depends on the administration. The previous shutdown, the Obama administration wanted to make the shutdown painful for people. So they literally assigned people to block access to federal facilities (the two examples I have heard are assigning police to block access to the scenic view turnout lanes at Mt. Rushmore (so you couldn't even pull over to take photos), and assigning people to block access to the World War II Memorial (which you could otherwise walk right into). Whereas you could shut down a number of government agencies entirely and nobody would ever notice. So far, there is no indication that the Trump administration has the goal of making this painful for people.

I think it's reprehensible that the government officials whose job it is to pass a budget and run the government get their paychecks while our military don't.

If they are non essential, why are they employed??:D

Lol

Lots of misinformation here about the mechanics of a shutdown. The appropriation process is in the Constitution. There are laws that prevent operations for occurring until Congress appropriates the money. We could change the Constitution and we could change the law, but no one has in all these years. Any other Congress would be up-in-arms at the usurpation of one of their fundamental Constitutional powers, but such are the dynamics of the current political climate.

That said, a short-term shutdown will not directly affect many in the next week or two (except the contractors who will be going without pay, as previously mentioned) as services that affect security and safety will continue. It's the equivalent of a holiday week or most everyone in the office taking vacation at the same time. Those giggling about "non-essential" personnel being laid off will be singing a different tune if it drags on for a few more weeks because then things will start getting delayed. The first big one will be processing of tax refunds, which are already on tap to be delayed because of all the tax changes. There are also thousands of hours spent developing all these contingency plans preparing for the shutdown, enacting the shutdown, and then recovering from the shutdown. It equates to real money spent for no good reason.

Sorry if many of us don't find the demonization of federal workers to be that funny. While I am not a federal worker myself, many of my friends and neighbors are, and they are worker-bees who want a stable life like anyone else.

The folks that process passport renewals are technically “non-essential” and have been furloughed, but I think we would all be disappointed if that function were eliminated.

 

 

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This is not correct. Passport processing is not impacted. It is a self sustaining function through the fees that they charge.

Simon,

We have been through several shutdowns in the past 30 years or so. It doesn't impact any of the things you mentioned, except perhaps trash collection in DC.

I am a retired Federal Employee and was on furlough two or three times, but always got paid after it ended.

Trash Collection? Oh.... never mind I just chuckled!

 

Sorry if many of us don't find the demonization of federal workers to be that funny. While I am not a federal worker myself, many of my friends and neighbors are, and they are worker-bees who want a stable life like anyone else.

Well said, I was a local government employee and my staff and I worked hard at making sure the things we were responsible for worked.

This is not correct. Passport processing is not impacted. It is a self sustaining function through the fees that they charge.

Hmm ...

so is this more fake news by CNN ?

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/20/politics/what-next-government-shutdown/index.html

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Thanks for the info.

Simon

Trash Collection? Oh.... never mind I just chuckled!

I wouldn't. The entire National Mall is run by the National Park Service through appropriated funds. That includes emptying the trash from every trash can on the National Mall. Yesterday and today have seen large crowds for the Women's March. That's at least tens of thousands of people, and tens of thousands of Starbucks cups. The DC government has pledged to collect the trash on the Mall, for which it almost certainly will not be reimbursed. It's actually a very big deal.

Sorry if many of us don't find the demonization of federal workers to be that funny. While I am not a federal worker myself, many of my friends and neighbors are, and they are worker-bees who want a stable life like anyone else.

Amen! In 2013, I was still in uniform and "exempt" (and there was a rushed through "pay our military" act that appropriated money to pay those in uniform), but I had civilian employees working beside me who were "Emergency Essential" and supposed to come to work during ice storms and other government closures, and were supposed to man emergency operations for events up to and including global nuclear war who were still furloughed as "non-essential" for the rules of the lapse in appropriations.

Amen! In 2013, I was still in uniform and "exempt" (and there was a rushed through "pay our military" act that appropriated money to pay those in uniform), but I had civilian employees working beside me who were "Emergency Essential" and supposed to come to work during ice storms and other government closures, and were supposed to man emergency operations for events up to and including global nuclear war who were still furloughed as "non-essential" for the rules of the lapse in appropriations.

The only federal employees I demonize are the Congress-both sides of the aisle and the President for not doing their job.