Once again, the government is facing the threat of a “shutdown.” So we’re once again facing the threat of no social security checks, shuttered national parks, soldiers not getting paid, etc.
Actually, though, the stakes on this “shutdown” are a little lower than some of the others. What makes for a “shutdown” is when the federal agency appropriations run out. Appropriations bills are supposedly passed for the fiscal year (October 1 through September 30 of the next year), but in recent years Congress has had a harder time getting this legislation passed and the government has operated on a series of short-term “continuing resolutions.” In past shutdown crises, this has usually meant the whole government is vulnerable to a shutdown.
But this year, Congress has actually been doing its job and has passed quite a few of the appropriations bills. If the annual appropriations bill has been approved by Congress and signed by the president, the agency will continue to operate even if there is a “shutdown.”
Signed into law
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Defense
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Energy and Water Development
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Labor, HHS, Education
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Legislative Branch
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Military Construction and VA
Probably will be signed by the deadline
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Agriculture
Still pending and vulnerable to shutdown
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Commerce, Justice, Science
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Financial Services and General Government
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Homeland Security
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Interior/Environment
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State/Foreign Operations
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Transportation/HUD
In other words, if the deadline passes and there’s no agreement about the Wall (the main source of conflict this go-round), we will see the shots of people being turned away at the World War II memorial (Interior/Environment). And endlessly hear stories about those hard-working border patrol and ICE agents working without pay (Homeland Security).
But Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid payments (Labor, HHS, Education, school funding (Labor, HHS, Education), Veterans benefits (Military Construction and VA), soldiers pay (DoD), and, in all likelihood, food stamps (Agriculture) will be secure.