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Potential Government Shutdown: Information and Resources
April 8, 2011
Dear Friends,
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In preparation for a possible government shutdown, I've created this information and resource page. I want Southeastern North Carolina to have the best possible information for what to expect if the Federal government shuts down. If the Congress cannot agree on funding for the Federal government before Friday, April 8th, 2011 at midnight, the Federal government will shut down.
How Does the Shutdown Affect You?
Services that will continue:
Services will continue that are deemed essential for the safety of human life and the protection of property. These include:
- Military/Department of Defense–support for soldiers in the field will not be affected by a potential shutdown but military pay may be delayed. Soldiers would receive back-pay when the government reopened, but regular pay may be disrupted. I have voted to change the law so that soldiers continue to get paid on time even in case of a shutdown.
- Homeland Security–border patrol agents, airport security, and FEMA operations will not be interrupted.
- Postal Service and the Federal Reserve—are both self-funded, will also continue to operate.
- Social Security—SS checks should continue to be deposited in your account or mailed to your home. However, staff furloughs may delay other services such as enrolling new participants, holding hearings, or resolving problems.
- Medicare—Benefits for this program are also exempt from the shutdown, so current participants should not notice any disruption, but new applications could be delayed.
- Veterans—VHA hospitals and Based Outpatient Clinics will stay open, and VBA disability compensation will be paid.
- Unemployment—Unemployment compensation will continue to be processed and checks will be sent to recipients. Only if the shutdown continued for an extended period, the federal funds that help states pay the costs of their unemployment programs could run out, requiring cash strapped states to step in and advance the money to keep their programs running. Otherwise, benefits would be reduced or stopped.
- Federal Courts—Federal courts are not affected by the shutdown and remain open unless a shutdown lasts for more than two weeks.
Services that will be suspended:
If a shutdown happens, the Federal government temporarily stops all "non-essential" services. However, "essential services" will continue to operate, such as those listed above. Other federal agencies may cut their services to a bare minimum, and are determining which of their services fall under these rules.- Visas and Passports—Prior shutdowns have kept new visa and passport applications from being processed. Embassies will remain open for services for American citizens, but will not conduct visa interviews.
- National Parks—National Park Service grounds, museums, and monuments will close, disrupting educational visits and vacation plans.
- Department of Agriculture and Farm Service Agency—would not be able to approve any grants, loans or loan guarantees for its rural housing, utilities, business, and community facilities programs. Farm loans, farm payments, and enrollment in conservation programs would cease. Agricultural export credit and other agricultural trade development and monitoring would stop.
- Federal Housing Administration (FHA)— would not endorse any single-family mortgage loans or have staff available to process and approve new multifamily loans. FHA single-family lending represents a market share of more than 20 percent of overall loan volume (home purchases and re-financing).
- Department of Defense–a large number of DOD civilian employees will be furloughed.
- Small Business Administration-SBA approval of business loan guarantees and direct loans to people would stop.
- Waterways and Beaches-the Army Corps of Engineers would not be able to undertake any dredging activities deemed “non-essential”.
- In General–there will be few staff to answer phones, return emails and inquiries at most Federal agencies. In case of a shutdown you can anticipate significant disruption in communicating with Federal agencies.
Important Reminders:
- IRS—Tax forms still need to be submitted on time. Electronic tax returns will continue to be processed, but paper returns will not be, leading to a delay in getting your refund if you file with a paper tax return.
How Does the Shutdown Affect Government Workers?
Most non-essential government employees will be furloughed from their jobs, only a few exempt employees will be allowed to come into work. Federal employees who are furloughed will not receive pay. Additionally, federal contractors will not be paid during this time and may not be eligible for back pay. Even if you want to work unpaid, federal law prohibits the government from accepting volunteer work.
Related Websites & Articles
Office Hours
Our Washington, D.C. and district offices will remain open from 9am – 5:30pm. Please note that our staff will be limited in our ability to work with federal agencies on your behalf. You can get more information by calling either of these offices:
- Washington, D.C.: (202) 225-2731
- Wilmington: (910) 815-4959
- Fayetteville: (910) 323-0260
- Lumberton: (910) 735-0610
- Bolivia: (910) 253-0158
Sincerely,
U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre
Representing the 7th District of North Carolina
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Lumberton, NC
500 North Cedar Street
Lumberton, NC 28358
(910) 735-0610
fax (910) 739-5085
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Fayetteville, NC
301 Green Street, Room 315
Fayetteville, NC 28301
(910) 323-0260
fax (910) 323-0069
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Wilmington, NC
201 North Front Street, Suite 410
Wilmington, NC 28401
(910) 815-4959
fax (910) 815-4543 |
Bolivia, NC
310 Government Center
Drive, NE
Building S, Unit 1
Bolivia, NC 28422
(910)-253-0158
fax (910)-253-0159 |
Washington, DC
2133 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2731
fax (202) 225-5773
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