The Government Shuts Down For The First Time Since 1996

Source | Globalgrind

In case you slept through it, parts of the federal government shut down at 12:01AM Tuesday morning, as Congress failed to agree on a spending bill.

Sylvia M. Burwell, director of the Office of Management and Budget, ordered executive agencies to shut down just before midnight on Monday.

“We urge Congress to act quickly to pass a Continuing Resolution to provide a short-term bridge that ensures sufficient time to pass a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year, and to restore the operation of critical public services and programs that will be impacted by a lapse in appropriations,” the memo said.

In case you slept through it, parts of the federal government shut down at 12:01AM Tuesday morning, as Congress failed to agree on a spending bill.

Sylvia M. Burwell, director of the Office of Management and Budget, ordered executive agencies to shut down just before midnight on Monday.

“We urge Congress to act quickly to pass a Continuing Resolution to provide a short-term bridge that ensures sufficient time to pass a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year, and to restore the operation of critical public services and programs that will be impacted by a lapse in appropriations,” the memo said.

“This is a very sad day for our country,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said on the Senate floor early Tuesday morning. Reid declared the Senate is in recess until 9:30 a.m. Tuesday.

So what does this mean? An estimated 800,000 of the 2.1 million federal workers who are deemed nonessential for the operations of the government will be sent home after they have shut down their work. Only employees who are necessary to ensure national security and protect Americans’ lives and property will be allowed to work, without pay, along with a few other types of workers.

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