U.S. House Gets Ready To Shut Down

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House of Representatives took the first step Tuesday toward shutting down the government, ordering all its members to draw up lists of staffers who will be furloughed.

And they have to be in by 5 p.m. Friday, April 8, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), chairman of the Committee on House Administration, ordered his fellow lawmakers in a "Dear Colleague" letter.

The government will run out of money at midnight Friday if Congress can't reach a deal to pass a new measure to keep the money flowing.

"Should Congress and the President fail to come to an agreement continuing appropriations for the Legislative Branch, non-essential House operations must be shut down effective April 9, 2011," Lungren wrote.

With just seven hours between Lungren's deadline and the potential shutdown, it was unclear how the various plans would be gathered or evaluated.

But in an accompanying 13-page package of guidance, the Committee explains that members of Congress are "employing authorities," and have the ultimate say on whom they retain as an "essential" employee, or furlough as "non-essential."

The basic barometer is whether the worker is vital to lawmakers carrying out their constitutional duties or needed to protect the safety of life or property. Capitol Police, for instance, would keep working, and presumably legislative staff.

"Activities that directly support Members' performance of their constitutional responsibilities would encompass, but are not limited to, such activities as vote tallying, bill and resolution drafting, parliamentary and legal advice and research, technical and technological support, and the like," the guidance says.

People such as constituent caseworkers may well fall outside that rule, potentially leaving voters with problems back home in the lurch.

Offices very likely to close include the House Gift Shop, the Capitol Visitors Center, the Smithsonian and the Flag Office.

And to make sure furloughed workers can resist the temptations of modern technology, the Committee said "employing offices may require furloughed employees to turn in their blackberries, laptops, and cell phones and should require furloughed employees to set an 'out of office' message on their email accounts."

Furloughed employees may be the lucky ones -- "essential" workers will have to show up, but won't get paid until after the shutdown ends.

"If you are an essential employee, failure to report for duty as required can result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination," the guidance warns.

Comments

[cam1002]

08:51 PM on 04/07/2011

In going through this post I find the repubs just dusting off all the old Fox News talking points and I am getting tired of them rewriting history and I go on and tell what really happened. For all you people out there blaming Obama for the deficit, he didn't do it. Bush did, actually it started with Reagan and has been going on ever since. The repubs won't cut the real source of the deficit. The 2 wars, the unfunded Medicare Part D, and where were all you repubs out there when Bush was doing this. I only heard that Cheney told Bush that "deficits don't matter". The Dems and particularly President Obama didn't make the deficit, Bush did and left Pres. Obama with a country on the brink of depression and he had to do something to get us out. Every economist he talked to, repub and dem, told him not to cut the budget but to add even more stimulus. I'm saying this again. We need to raise revenue by increasing taxes on everybody if necessary but especially so on the weathiest 2%. We need to close the loopholes, subsidies and tax breaks for the wealthy and large corps that let them offshore jobs and income so they don't have to pay taxes to the US or US wages. Stop the two wars and bring our troops home NOW. But NOT cut social programs which are doing their part to keep money actually IN the economy.

[marilyn 63]

05:47 PM on 04/06/2011

i am getting real sick of both sides being blamed for not compromising on the budget. we as Democrats bend over backwards for the Republicans and in order for the country to function. i don't see any compromising from them i see a tea-GOP vendetta Boener agreed to a preliminary amount. with the Democrats compromising for 33 billion. and then the teabaggers read him(Bohener) the riot act. and he said maybe we will take 40 billion moving the post again playing games. they were stupidly reelected because of the teabaggers and low information voters and whiners they were the ones with Bush who trashed the country( no teabaggers screamed then) Republicans spent us into a hole. and the Democrats had to do the heavy lifting to get our country back functioning. and the Republicans don't get punished they get rewarded by getting reelected isn't that crazy? and now they feel the country loves them and will reward them again if they cut all the peoples programs and they even want medicare. social security, medicaid, w omens programs and what does the media say.> well the polls say they want the Democrats and Republicans to compromise. is the public really this dumb?

[cam1002]

08:57 PM on 04/07/2011

F&F

[msbeal]

12:56 PM on 04/06/2011

The only real question is whether a balanced budget is worth another Great Depression?

If the wealthy elite figure they can efficiently keep the lid on 100 million starving, homeless fellow citizens then maybe it does pencil out for them.

[denicci1977]

10:21 AM on 04/06/2011

Doesn't make sense for the public to be split on blame. It is a no brainer which party is destructing this nation and fails time and time again. Was anyone actually listening when they had their sleeves rolled up in that hardware store while shoving that insult of a Pledge to America down our throats ?

[vonny]

09:41 AM on 04/06/2011

Shut'r down......who gives a rat's a zz? They can do less damage to us that way. Politicians=Liars and thieves.

[busterbrownthefirst]

10:28 AM on 04/06/2011

I understand that Baggers and Republicans rejected Boxe's bill that congresspeople receive no pay if the government shuts down. We should be out in the streets on this one. They shut down the government and want to get paid for it? Why aren't Democrts running tv spots? I can think of few better p.r. investments. I mean, normally shutting down the House would be fabulous. But this is something else entirely.

[cam1002]

08:21 PM on 04/07/2011

Optimist are we?

[AtticusinPa]

09:37 AM on 04/06/2011

Let me guess: every single Republican House and Senate staffer will be deemed "essential." Layoffs? No problemo! Lost wages? Nope. Financial hurt? Never. Shameless.

[ghp ma]

09:17 AM on 04/06/2011

A quick solution for any potential government shutdown: No one in Congress gets paid until a budget is passed!

[busterbrownthefirst]

10:30 AM on 04/06/2011

Well, get this. Some other bloggers updated me. Boxer submitted legislation that they would not be paid. Republicans and Baggers defeated it.

[cam1002]

08:23 PM on 04/07/2011

F&F

[greenlord]

09:15 AM on 04/06/2011

They should remove Big Oils Tax exempt status!, cash flow problem solved. And give Private defense contractor funds to our military where it belongs not to the for profit money laundering lobbying folks who if they did their job would be out of a job. It'll never happen because we live in a Plutocracy and they're the ones who OWN our Politicians. PAY TO PLAY GOVT SUCKS!

[cam1002]

08:24 PM on 04/07/2011

the House Dems submitted a bill to cut the subsidies for large oil and gas corps. The repubs voted it down. EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN VOTED NO. Please remember this when you go to vote in 2012.

[ruthtruth]

09:13 AM on 04/06/2011

Are the teabaggers happy now? The right have done their part at throwing a wrench in any chance to keep this from happening. They won't compromise and every time the left gives in some the right moves the goalpost further to the right . Enough is enough. The left must take a stand and tell the right to take their budget and shove it. Destroying all the progress that has been so hard to come by is not what we need now so now is the time for the left to stand firm.

[makeck]

09:23 AM on 04/06/2011

Yes, because its not like the Democrats had a majority in the House and Senate, and occupied the White house, for the entire Fiscal Year prior to this Congress getting sworn in. The budget process at the Congressional level starts in February of the prior Fiscal year.

[AtticusinPa]

09:40 AM on 04/06/2011

Please learn to read before you post. This fiscal year budget was passed. We spend money at the federal level in two steps: The budget process lays out the big picture. Once the budget is passed, each spending bill must then be approved, separately. So, each year, after the budget is passed, comes a series of appropriation bills. It is the appropriations "continuing resolution" that is failing.

[judgejay]

09:34 AM on 04/06/2011

No truth from Ruth. The fact is the democratic house should have passed a budget last year. The current budget represents a increase of over 20% from fiscal year 08. How can you possibly think is good to be spending 1.6 trillion more than we take in this year alone. You may call that progess, I call it wasteful spending.

[msbeal]

12:28 PM on 04/06/2011

Every reputable economist on the planet thinks in times of depression the government needs to spend to stimulate.

Hey, don't blame me, I'm not that crazy about capitalism.

Apparently a nice and neat well balanced budget is meaningless when the unemployment rate hits 30% and we start reading stories about massive malnutrition throughout our country.

You need to be careful that what you think is today's solution doesn't generate tomorrow's problems.

[Epimenides]

09:13 AM on 04/06/2011

Many citizens reasonably believe that America would be much better off if they kept the tourist center open and sent all the Congressmen home.

[vgirl1]

08:41 AM on 04/06/2011

Tearepubs are as ignorant of government and governing as they are of the Constitution.

These novices take all to lightly the idea of shutting down the US government. The consequences of the US defaulting on its loans will have repercussions that will impact even the wealthiest among them for years to come.

The Tearepub House of Reps will be remembered for this fiasco if it occurs.

[makeck]

09:19 AM on 04/06/2011

Kinda funny everyone blames the repubs for the buedget impasse. Presidential Budget submission is usually done in Februray. So from February 2010 through December 2010, a period of 11 months, a Democratic House, Democratic Senate, and Democratic President, had all the oppotunity in the world to pass a budget. They punted.

They waited until the Repubs who took over the house were sworn in to get serious about passing a budget. And then suddenly its not their fault.

Make no mistake the Republicans in the house are playing politics. But if you think somehow that is NOT what the Dems were doing for the nine months they could have passed a budget any day they wanted, your delusional.

That's the fiasco that I will remember. Dem in the White House, Dem majority in both houses of Congress. 9+ months of doing nothing. The Republican House forcing spending cuts is merely the result of Democratic inaction.

[shellshock30]

10:09 AM on 04/06/2011

Please, the repubs aren't serious about anything....its all political. Their game is vote to take away from th poor and give to the wealthy or suffer the consequences....seriuosness involves a compromise, NOT holding the american people hostage.

[traceymarie]

01:46 PM on 04/06/2011

wrong again bagger, a budget was submitted several times but the repubs decided to wait till after the 2010 elections, they filibustered and voted *gasp* no. They wanted to wait and see how many seats they could grab, they assumed they would win both houses, now it is just politics and pay backs to them.

[vonny]

09:43 AM on 04/06/2011

I'm a dem and I don't care if they shut it down. They all make me sick, money hungry liars.

[ssffww]

11:29 AM on 04/07/2011

But unfortunately they are not the ones who are going to suffer from a shut down. Especially if they insist on continuing to collect their salaries.

[dayzee10]

08:41 AM on 04/06/2011

Reply to golemaximus...somehow the link disappeared.....Clinton left a surplus for W......after 8 yrs of W all of a sudden the country is in a financial mess.....both Wars were escalated under W and were also kept off the budgetary books hmmmmmm.........dems have 2 yrs of semi-control as retealibanbaggericans emphatically say hell no to even the most inconsequential issues brought before congress with the STATED aim to derail Obama no matter what happens to US citizens.........I am extremely disappointed that we are not completely out of wars but escalation has ended........As for name calling the Retealibanbaggerican Party is what the former Republican Party has morphed into it is how I see it. That party has been taken over by the religious zealots and the teabaggers hence the insertion of tealibanbagger into the former party's name..........and I am not your buddy

[JWoodz]

08:40 AM on 04/06/2011

we've seen this play in action before.

Towards the end of last year, the Republicans forced the tax breaks for the wealthy before they extended the unemployment benefits for the unemployed. They did this by threatening to let the unemployment benefits expire.

They think that Obama is weak, and will cave to save the the country hardship. They are using his desire to see things work to the greater good to get what they want. They are banking that they can do this, whilst framing him as the bad guy.

I don't think this will work.

[GrandmaG]

09:11 AM on 04/06/2011

I hope NOT. We all need to let President Obama know that we are behind him as long as he stands his ground. Make the call or send the email or BOTH!

[Photon55]

08:39 AM on 04/06/2011

While the wingers/baggers continue their assault on America the majority of Americans have yet to intercede in the struggle for survival. Most of us do not view the government as an enemy or a problem. We have become used to aderserial and confrontational politics but always felt that common sense and rational thought would trump ideology and partisanship and civility resulting in compromise would occur. That's why the majority of us are watching the unfolding debacle in state houses and now in congress with patience, How long patience will last is another matter. Arrogance and ignorance created problems the last time the republicans were in power and has returned with vengeance.

[Hillrick]

08:36 AM on 04/06/2011

I'm thinking no shut down. The polls may "appear to be split 39% R to blame, 36% D but that 36% is the base who will never be satisfied with the Dems. The other 33% say it's because of the R's and POTUS. POTUS looks good for reelection so the total blame for the R's is 69%. They may push for as much as they can but shutdown is not likely.