The Federal shutdown continues with no clear pathway to resolution, as Senate Democrats left town Thursday. Speaker Mike Johnson canceled votes in the House for the fifth straight week, in an effort to put pressure on Senate Democrats to accept the House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government until November 21. While Democrats continue to push for renewal of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies, many now say that it may take direct engagement from the President before negotiations see meaningful progress. Republicans continue to maintain that they will only negotiate health care if Democrats first vote to reopen the government.
On Thursday, October 23, Democratic Senators blocked Senate Bill 3012, introduced by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), which would have authorized pay for active military and for some federal employees who have been working without pay. Those who blocked the measure asserted that the legislation allows the President to determine which federal employees are paid, and which remain unpaid during the shutdown. Alternatively, Democrats were in support of a bill that would pay all federal workers during the shutdown and would bar the use of “Reductions in Force” in the interim.
As the shutdown continues, deadlines are approaching which are poised to magnify the impact by the early days of November.
- On Tuesday, October 28, and Thursday, October 30, civilian federal employees across agencies missed their first full paychecks. Some already felt those impacts the previous week.
- On Friday, October 31, members of the military will miss their first paycheck, unless the Administration once again identifies alternate funds. House staffers are also expected to be impacted on October 31.
- On Saturday, November 1, funding begins to dry up for SNAP, Head Start, and WIC nutrition programs. Saturday also marks the start of open enrollment for ACA health insurance.
- Over the weekend, November 1 and 2, the Essential Air Service program, which subsidizes flights to small and rural communities, is expected to run out of money.
For more information, contact RCRC Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, Mary-Ann Warmerdam.