Shutdown stories

[onekidanddone]

25 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Looks like the GOP got their trickle-down economics after all.  

 

How many people receiving food stamps before the shutdown were BTs?

How many people receiving food stamps who now can't get food are still Bts?

Sadly even this won't change the hearts and minds of many of his supporters. 

[onekidanddone]

18 hours ago, onekidanddone said:

#inwhichistopgivingafuck: Shutdown day 29

 

#inwhichilosetrackoftime Day ???

Did I miss day 30? Time is starting to bend. One day into another and it all feels the same.

[AmazonGrace]

Maddow on how the shutdown screws up FBI security clearances because everyone is fucked financially 

 

They will lose dental and vision coverage if it goes on

[GreyhoundFan]

"Thousands of disabled federal contract workers sent home due to shutdown, managers say"

Spoiler

Thousands of disabled people employed with the government through a federal contracting set-aside program have been sent home without pay because of the partial government shutdown, nonprofit managers who employed them say, raising new concerns about how the shutdown is impacting those least prepared to weather it.

The people affected include those with “significant disabilities," including learning disorders, who may have trouble coping with the anxiety of losing a job. Some of them say they’ve missed rent payments and skipped medical procedures after their health insurance lapsed. Others say they may have to stop paying for medications they need.

The nonprofit government contractors that employ them operate in almost every U.S. state, highlighting how the shutdown has altered lives throughout the country. Workers, managers and advocates worry that the extended shutdown is threatening a federal program called AbilityOne, which designates certain federal contracts for nonprofits employing people who are blind or have other disabilities.

John Kelly, vice president of government relations and public policy at SourceAmerica, an organization that works with more than 400 such nonprofits, said he is aware of 143 nonprofits across 43 states that have been affected.

“We have more than 2,000 people with disabilities that were working on federal contracts that aren’t today,” Kelly said. “These are people who may have searched for this job for years, it really works for them and is a really key part of their life, and now they don’t know if they’re going to get that job back or not.”

The nonprofits affected include Chimes District of Columbia, an AbilityOne contractor that employs about 1,300 people, roughly 900 of whom report having a disability of some sort. Chimes executives reported sending 100 workers home without pay due to the shutdown. Work Inc., a contractor based in Dorchester, Mass., reported sending 29 people home without pay.

Tyrone Johns has worked as a janitor at the Commerce Department for 18 years under an AbilityOne set-aside contract, according to his managers at Chimes. Johns has weathered government shutdowns before. But he says the current one, now the longest in history as it stretches into its fifth week, has been like none other.

He is concerned he will not be able to pay for his blood-pressure medication if the shutdown persists into February, as his work week has been reduced from five days to two.

Johns is caught in the middle of a protracted standoff between President Trump and Congressional Democrats over whether the next federal budget should include billions of dollars for Trump’s proposed border wall. Numerous federal agencies have been partially shut down since Dec. 22.

“I don’t know why they keep doing this,” Johns said. “They just keep arguing with each other and that’s not right, because a lot of people are out of work.”

Some of those still employed have seen their hours reduced, like Johns, or have shouldered inordinate workloads as agencies try to function with fewer employees. Unlike furloughed federal workers, government contractors generally do not receive back pay.

Not all of those employed through the AbilityOne program are disabled. Under federal law a nonprofit must devote 75 percent of its labor hours for a particular contract to “blind or other severely disabled individuals” in order to qualify for the federal set-aside contracting program.

Those employed on AbilityOne contracts include veterans injured in combat; aging workers suffering from diseases including Parkinson’s; those with developmental disabilities; the blind; and people who aren’t disabled at all. Their responsibilities range from shoveling snow in front of government buildings to inspecting military vehicles. Some are skilled tradesmen who can find other employment but many others depend on AbilityOne contract jobs for their livelihoods.

The biggest AbilityOne customer, the Defense Department, still has funding in place during the shutdown. But a not-insignificant number of them work at civilian federal agencies including the Department of the Interior, the Commerce Department and the Environmental Protection Agency, which have been in a state of partial shutdown for a month.

Officials from the Trump administration and affected agencies say they are doing everything they can within the law to protect contract workers' jobs.

“At the direction of the president, the administration is doing everything to make the lapse as painless as possible, consistent with law, and we urge Congress to do their jobs and quickly pass an appropriations bill that both opens the government and secures our borders,” said a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A spokesman for the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, an independent federal agency that administers the program, said the commission is “closely monitoring” the shutdown’s ongoing impact. A spokeswoman for the Department of the Interior said agencies are “taking all appropriate measures” to assist contract employees during the shutdown. Other agencies referred questions to the Office of Management and Budget.

“In complete compliance with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, [Interior Department] Acting Secretary [David] Bernhardt is taking all appropriate measures to allow employees to work and earn a paycheck on time,” a spokeswoman for the Interior Department said in an email. “That applies not only to our full-time and part-time employees, but also to those that support us through contracts. We sympathize with folks who are experiencing difficult circumstances because Congress is failing to pass a budget that secures our borders.”

For the nonprofits that depend on AbilityOne contracts, the shutdown is stretching finances thin. New contract awards have all but ground to a halt at civilian agencies, making it hard to find new funding.

Some managers have vowed to keep their employees on the payroll through the shutdown by dipping into overhead, but it is unclear how long they will be able to do so.

"The smallest contractors are going to run out of lines of credit very soon,' said Matt McKelvey, president of the government contractors' consultancy McKelvey Group. “In early February you’re going to really see the pain on the contractors. ... There will be no cash left.”

Jim Cassetta, president and chief executive of Work Inc., says he has been forced to send 29 people home without pay who had been working at an Environmental Protection Agency building and the federally funded John F. Kennedy Library, both in Boston. Many of them have been out of work since Dec. 22, while others are using up vacation and sick days.

Cassetta says the shutdown has been a “double whammy” for disabled workers because it is hard for them to quickly find part-time work. Soon after news of the shutdown broke, he started rushing the workers to local unemployment offices to begin the process of getting them unemployment benefits.

“Once they’re trained to do the job, they do phenomenal work,” Cassetta said of his disabled employees. “But they need to be supported; they need to deal with the anxiety of losing one job and being trained for another.”

One of those sent home from Work Inc. is Zach Weiner, who described himself as disabled. He says he has been waiting for his unemployment benefits to kick in after being sent home from his job in the mailroom of an Environmental Protection Agency building.

Another is Yolanda Pagan, who has been a janitor at the JFK Library for two years under contract with Work Inc. She hasn’t worked since before Christmas and says she wasn’t able to pay all of her bills for January.

She says she has a learning disability that could make it hard to find another manager who will work with her.

“It’s not easy for me to just go anywhere and get a new job,” she said.

Another is Ray Garcia, an electrician who helps maintain the JFK Library under a contract with Work Inc., and said he qualifies as a disabled person. Garcia says Work Inc. has been able to pay him during the shutdown by letting him use vacation days.

“What I’m doing is I’m using up my vacation time, and then I’ll use the sick time,” Garcia said. “Once I run out of sick time I’ve got nothing. I have enough to live for a couple of weeks and stuff … but soon I’ll run out.”

Jacqueline Dailey has worked as a clerk at the Department of the Interior in Washington for the past two years under a contract with Chimes. Dailey said she has been unable to work since Dec. 24, and had to delay a medical procedure because her health insurance lapsed when she was laid off.

“I was just in a nice routine and now that’s all out of whack,” Dailey said. “It’s like you have a family member you have lost contact with. It was so abrupt, and we knew there was a possibility the government would shut down, but this was longer than anyone imagined.”

 

[AmazonGrace]

Maybe this was the goal 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"‘No cave!’: Trump, Pelosi vow not to yield in government shutdown standoff"

Spoiler

President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) both vowed anew Tuesday not to yield in a standoff over border-wall funding that has led to a partial government shutdown now a month old.

In a morning tweet, Trump accused Democrats of playing “political games,” exclaimed “No cave!” and argued that construction of a wall along the Mexican border would lead to substantially lower crime rates and fewer drugs coming into the United States.

“Without a Wall our Country can never have Border or National Security,” Trump wrote.

In response, Pelosi accused Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of “holding Americans hostage” by not acting on bills the House is passing that would reopen shuttered government departments — but do not meet Trump’s demands for border-wall funding.

The dueling messages come as the House and Senate are taking divergent paths on legislation aimed at reopening government as hundreds of thousands of federal workers face a second missed paycheck at the end of the week.

The Republican-led Senate plans to take up a proposal announced by Trump on Saturday to trade temporary protections for young undocumented immigrants and others for the $5.7 billion that the president is seeking for his border wall.

The Senate legislation would reopen the government through Sept. 30 while funding a variety of other immigration security measures and spending $12.7 billion on hurricane and wildfire disaster relief. But Democrats have rejected the plan, so it appears unlikely to garner the 60 votes necessary to advance.

The Democratic-led House, meanwhile, plans to pass spending bills that would reopen portions of the government that have nothing to do with the wall.

The legislation will include some security priorities supported by both parties, including a total of about $1 billion for immigration judges and ports of entry along the border. But the House legislation is dead on arrival in the Senate, where McConnell has made clear he will not advance any spending bills Trump won’t sign.

In a tweet later Tuesday morning, Trump claimed a united front with McConnell and other Republicans.

“Never seen @senatemajldr and Republicans so united on an issue as they are on the Humanitarian Crisis & Security on our Southern Border,” he wrote.

 

 

[onekidanddone]

#soitcomestothis: Shutdown Day 32

The food bank in my area is waiving the income requirement for all Federal employees. MrOneKid called today and we are going to get a box.

I'm thinking I need to postpone my annual colonoscopy. I have to have one yearly because I have UC, but I haven't made my deductible and even with insurance the copay is high.  

 

[nvmbr02]

I do hope that everyone takes advantage of any help that may be available to them. I know we would if there were things available to us. Unfortunately there are only about 300 federal employees here that aren't DOD so we are not really a priority. I have seen a few places that are reaching out to Coast Guard families, which is good. I don't know how many coasties we have here, but I know there are a decent amount. 

I did get my student loan payment put on a 3 month hold. It isn't much since it isn't a huge payment but it is something. I did see that the Senate is voting on two bills this week, I believe one is one of those that the house passed the other is the one that Trump put out. I really hope the one that passed the house passes, it would only be a temporary CR, but at least we could get paid and a little breathing room. I doubt Trump would sign it but hopeful that things are at least possibly starting to move a bit.

[AmazonGrace]

There is a word for countries that don't have a functional court system but it ain't supercool

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

The acronym game is strong here

[fransalley]

11 hours ago, nvmbr02 said:

I do hope that everyone takes advantage of any help that may be available to them. I know we would if there were things available to us. Unfortunately there are only about 300 federal employees here that aren't DOD so we are not really a priority. I have seen a few places that are reaching out to Coast Guard families, which is good. I don't know how many coasties we have here, but I know there are a decent amount. 

I did get my student loan payment put on a 3 month hold. It isn't much since it isn't a huge payment but it is something. I did see that the Senate is voting on two bills this week, I believe one is one of those that the house passed the other is the one that Trump put out. I really hope the one that passed the house passes, it would only be a temporary CR, but at least we could get paid and a little breathing room. I doubt Trump would sign it but hopeful that things are at least possibly starting to move a bit.

I did not hear this announcement because I was in the nursery Sunday, but the elders at my church said that if anyone was affected by the shutdown, to see them after service.  Although we're a large church (nearly 900 on Sundays, split between two services), our elders know who we are, and we've been asked, do you need anything?  

So far, we're OK financially.  I'm more distressed about the "take no prisoners, no quarter" attitude from DC.  I am part of a ladies' Bible study on Tuesdays and in my prayer request, I said, "I am so tired of being strong."

I also deal with student loans (from a stint in court reporting school) and mine are also on hold.  Last week I got paid from my part-time work, and on the same day, I got a check from some abandoned property (a checking account I'd forgotten about and put a claim in for).  That has helped.  

[Howl]

Nancy Pelosi: If we hold the employees hostage now, they’re hostage forever.”

Rachel Maddow:  There is a fear that Trump has no intention to reopen the government.  He is fine with it permanently closed. 

I'm retired but turned 70.  My second Social Security application (after Soc. Security screwed up and dropped the first one) is currently in limbo due to the shut down and I'm thinking will continue to be in limbo when the gov't reopens due to staggering backlogs. We're fine financially and tend to be on the frugal side, so it's not a problem. 

I'm thinking of those many older Americans whose sole source of income will be Social Security and who are in desperate straights because approval of their application is delayed. 

And also consider that the 800,000 number has a huge multiplier -- spouses, children, elderly parents dependent on a Federal wage earner or Social Security or other Federal benefits. 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Hundreds of IRS employees are skipping work. That could delay tax refunds."

Spoiler

Hundreds of Internal Revenue Service employees have received permission to skip work during the partial government shutdown due to financial hardship, and union leaders said Tuesday that they expected absences to surge as part of a coordinated protest that could hamper the government’s ability to process taxpayer refunds on time.

The Trump administration last week ordered at least 30,000 IRS workers back to their offices, where they have been working to process refunds without pay. It was one of the biggest steps the government has taken to mitigate the shutdown’s impact on Americans’ lives.

But IRS employees across the country — some in coordinated protest, others out of financial necessity — won’t be clocking in, according to Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, and several local union officials. The work action is widespread and includes employees from a processing center in Ogden, Utah, to the Brookhaven campus on New York’s Long Island.

The move is the leading edge of pushback from within the IRS, and it signals the potential for civil servants to take actions that could slow or cripple government functions as the shutdown’s political stalemate continues in Washington. U.S. Department of Agriculture meat inspectors have begun to call in sick, Transportation Security Administration sickouts at airports have been rising, and federal law enforcement agencies say the shutdown is increasing stress among agents and affecting investigations.

“They are definitely angry that they’re not getting paid, and maybe some of them are angry enough to express their anger this way,” said Reardon, whose union represents 150,000 employees at 33 federal agencies and departments. “But these employees live paycheck to paycheck, and they can’t scrape up the dollars to get to work or pay for child care.”

Not receiving pay for more than a month has taken a toll on employees across the government, but especially on those who are not in high-salary jobs. The employees summoned back from furlough to process tax refunds are paid between $25,800 and $51,000 a year, depending on their seniority. IRS employees will miss a second paycheck Monday if the government does not reopen this week.

“I’m at the point where I cannot afford to go to work,” said Marissa Scott, 31, an IRS customer service representative who is out on hardship leave. Scott lives outside Kansas City, Mo., and drives 98 miles round trip to work each day. “I cannot afford to fill my gas tank.”

Scott, who has worked at the IRS for four years, says she typically helps as many as 50 people a day with their returns during tax season, including U.S. troops stationed overseas. She said the shutdown could delay refunds for months, and without employees like her on the job, “it’s going to be a disaster all around.”

Many of the IRS employees who are choosing not to come to work despite getting called back are taking advantage of a provision in the union contract that allows them to miss work if they suffer a “hardship” during a shutdown, according to the labor groups.

That could mean a blown car tire, an empty gas tank or a child-care bill.

“I have fielded no less than 30 to 40 calls, emails or text messages about hardship requests from employees daily since Thursday,” said Shannon Ellis, president of the NTEU’s Chapter 66 in Kansas City.

In Andover, Mass., more than 100 customer service representatives, electronic filing workers and other IRS employees plan to use the hardship exemption and won’t report to work, said Gary Karibian, chapter president of a local union.

“I would say a majority of employees are calling out under hardship,” Karibian said. “I’m getting reports whole teams are requesting out. One person told me, ‘I’m the only one on my team here.’ ”

The union lacks an official head count of absent workers — the IRS declined to share data on hardship exemptions — but staffers in Fresno, Calif.; Austin; Andover; Kansas City and Atlanta, among other locations, say they won’t be showing up for work, Reardon said.

Duncan Giles, who has worked for 24 years at an IRS call center in Indianapolis, said more workers are requesting hardship leave as they learn it exists.

“The more this goes on and the tougher it is to get to work — they simply cannot afford it,” said Giles, president of NTEU Chapter 49, noting that about 30 of the 170 employees who have been called back to work in Indianapolis have requested the exemption. “Every single person wants to be at work. They want to help the American taxpayer. But we have to pay for gas and child care.”

The hardship exemption allows IRS employees not to have to use sick days to be absent from work, and managers must approve the exemptions.

Lawmakers also have heard reports of IRS staffers intending to miss work and are planning to ask Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin for details when he testifies on Capitol Hill this Thursday, a House aide said.

The IRS declined to say how many workers are on hardship leave, and spokesman Matt Leas said the IRS is continuing its work to prepare for the beginning of filing season next week.

“We are continuing our recall operations, and we continue to assess the situation at this time,” Leas said.

The IRS employees’ moves come amid broad uncertainty about the Trump administration’s attempts to minimize the impact of the shutdown. On Sunday, the number of TSA agents who failed to show up for work hit a record 10 percent, resulting in long wait times. Guards at federal prisons also are calling out at high rates, with union officials at 10 prisons contacted by The Washington Post this month saying the number of employees skipping work has doubled.

As a result, officers who report for duty often are working 16-hour shifts, and prison secretaries and janitors are being forced to patrol the halls and yards.

“All I have is pepper spray and a radio to call for help,” said 52-year-old Opal Brown, who works as a secretary at Hazelton Federal Correctional Institution in West Virginia.

The FBI Agents Association said in a report Tuesday that the shutdown is hampering the ability of agents to perform their “duties and fund necessary operations and investigations.”

USDA meat inspectors also have begun calling in sick — in numbers large enough to trigger an agency crackdown. The inspectors were told Jan. 11 to bring in a doctor’s note, even if they were ill for a single day, records show.

Six days later, after protests from union leaders, agency officials reverted to existing policy, which calls for a doctor’s note after three days.

Some front-line managers at the IRS have threatened their employees and said they could lose their jobs if they put in for the exemption, but Reardon, the union leader, said most have been instructed by senior management to approve the requests.

IRS employees are some of the most impactful federal workers caught in the middle of the shutdown, as the tax filing season begins and millions of Americans are expected to seek tax refunds in February. Last year, more than $140 billion in tax refunds was paid out through early March, according to IRS data.

Trump has expressed an interest in making sure that tax refunds are paid out next month, believing that if they are delayed he could face major public backlash. His budget office took the unprecedented step this month of ordering thousands of unpaid IRS workers back to the office, saying that processing refunds was an “essential” government function even if the workers weren’t paid.

As much as 75 percent of the roughly 4,000 furloughed IRS employees in Kansas City could qualify for hardship leave, said Chris­tina Bennett, executive vice president of the local National Treasury Employees Union chapter.

“Right now, they’re being lenient,” Bennett said.

Employees who process tax refunds, she said, are among the lowest-paid IRS workers. Some are worried about losing their cars.

Bennett, 63, who has worked nearly four decades at the IRS, most recently as an accountant, said she, too, can no longer afford her commute. She plans to request hardship leave if the government calls her back to work.

“I just don’t have it,” she said. “I’d have to walk a half-hour to get to a bus stop. And it’s so cold. We’ve got rain, snow, rain, snow.”

Sakeya Cooks, 24, another IRS worker who guides taxpayers through the refund process, said she might never report back to work. She already has applied for a new job at a Kansas City bank.

“How am I supposed to live like this?” she said. “I’m worried about losing my apartment.”

John Koskinen, a former IRS commissioner, said federal employees are dedicated to the agency’s mission but might be reaching their breaking point.

“As you put more and more pressure on the system, you increase the risk of a significant glitch,” Koskinen said. “If I were the administration, I’d be troubled. The pressure is going to mount.”

 

[47of74]

Dubuque wants the shutdown to end

Quote

Councilmembers in the City of Dubuque are worried the government shutdown may affect those who use Housing Choice Vouchers, or Section 8.

They voted unanimously Monday night to let Iowa lawmakers know about it.

"Nobody in the history of the world was elected to stop their government from functioning," said Councilman Ric Jones. "I've had about enough of that, and I think the rest of the United States has had about enough of it."

Jones, Mayor Roy Buol, and the other five sitting city council members voted to write to Representative Finkenauer, along with Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, expressing the need to re-open the government.

Of course our fuck face supporting Senators will probably have some bullshit all ready about how fuck face needs his wall and that's why they can't reopen the government.

[AmazonGrace]

 

[fraurosena]

Nope, no shame. But he does have a lot of rubles.

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Howl]

Polling shows that Americans, for the most part, do not GAS about the Wall and would like to see the Government open and functioning. 

I keep thinking that Senate Republicans will rebel against MJLDR McConnell at some point, because this seems to be turning into a PR disaster, but I can't underestimate the extent to which politicians fear Trump and his die hard supporters. 

It'll be "interesting" to see how the SOTU drama plays out next Tuesday. 

[onekidanddone]

#gettingoutsideofmyconfortzone:  Shutdown day 32 (or whatever)

Rally today inside the Hart Senate Office Building. We stood for half an hour in complete silence holding signs.  Then we chanting "No more food banks we need paychecks".

This is the third rally I've been to so far and I plan to go to more.

I looked up the local offices for Raskin, Van Hollen and Cardin.  Has any FJer gone to the local reps office?  Can I just show up or do I have to make an appointment.  I don't expect to talk to my reps in person, but at least I could talk to a staff member to them them my story.

Mods:  I'd like to post a photo or two from the crowd. Is it okay? I realize I did that the other week with out asking first.

 

[Myomy]

Does anyone have any idea why USAJOBS.gov, the website for announcing federal job vacancies, is currently reflecting job openings for agencies/departments impacted by the shutdown?  Last night there were announcements for over 100 positions at TSA that had been posted since the shutdown began.  Same for Customs and Border Patrol, IRS, Bureau of Prisons, National Park Service, etc.  I called one of my Senator's offices and the dumbass there said I would need to contact the individual agencies to find out how they are able to advertise for positions they did not have appropriated funds for.  I told him that those information lines were not operational, just like the one at the White House, due to the shutdown and that was why I was contacting my Senator for assistance.  What kind of insanity is that?

Let me just say that both my husband and I are retired federal employees, and our hearts go out to everyone impacted by this shutdown.  Whether you're a federal employee, a contractor, or someone who utilizes a government assistance program, please know that others care about you.  May peace be with you.

[Howl]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

Here's more on Lara's take on the shutdown. She needs to go fuck herself. "Lara Trump tells federal workers that their missed paychecks are sacrifices for the ‘future of our country’"

Spoiler

As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history persists, Lara Trump is urging federal employees to “stay strong,” noting that they are sacrificing “for the future of our country” — a message that drew criticism.

Trump, who is President Trump’s daughter-in-law and campaign adviser, told the digital news network Bold TV earlier this week that the president is fighting for “what he knows is the right thing to do.”

“It’s not fair to you, and we all get that, but this is so much bigger than any one person,” she said. “It is a little bit of pain, but it’s going to be for the future of our country, and their children and their grandchildren and generations after them will thank them for their sacrifice right now. I know it’s hard. I know people have families, they have bills to pay, they have mortgages, they have rents that are due. But the president is trying every single day to come up with a good solution here and, the reality is, it’s been something that’s gone on for too long and been unaddressed — our immigration problem.

“If we do nothing right now, it’s never going to get fixed. This is our one opportunity.”

After Trump’s remarks, some people on social media scoffed at the idea that the shutdown is “a little bit of pain,” noting that about 800,000 government employees are affected.

The co-hosts on ABC’s “The View” also criticized the shutdown and Trump’s rationale for it.

“It’s just such a bad look,” co-host Meghan McCain said Wednesday morning on the show.

“If you are a millionaire’s wife,” Sunny Hostin added, “you may not understand that there are families that can’t afford to feed their children.”

Joy Behar then interjected: “But she’s married to [Eric Trump] — she knows pain.”

The partial government shutdown, which started Dec. 22, continues as President Trump demands $5.7 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and Democratic lawmakers decline to approve it.

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) proposed a temporary truce, allowing the federal government to reopen so that the Senate can try to find a solution. It includes a ban on lawmakers' ability to use government shutdowns as a negotiation tactic, according to news reports.

Lara Trump said the issue is that without the shutdown, the president has “no hand to play.”

Then she told government workers who are unable to work to “please stay strong.”

“We appreciate everything that you’re sacrificing,” Trump said on Bold TV. “We are behind you, and we’re going to do everything we can. I know the president is doing everything he can to resolve this quickly.”

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"White House seeks list of programs that would be hurt if shutdown lasts into March"

Spoiler

White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has pressed agency leaders to provide him with a list of the highest-impact programs that will be jeopardized if the shutdown continues into March and April, people familiar with the directive said.

Mulvaney wants the list no later than Friday, these people said, and it’s the firmest evidence to date that the White House is preparing for a lengthy funding lapse that could have snowballing consequences for the economy and government services.

The request is the first known inquiry from a top White House official seeking information about the spreading impact of the shutdown, which has entered its fifth week and is the longest in U.S. history. So far, top White House officials have been particularly focused on lengthening wait times at airport security, but not the sprawling interruption of programs elsewhere in the government.

The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose Mulvaney’s demand.

The shutdown has already caused the federal government to stop paying 800,000 employees, but the impact is expected to become exponentially broader in the coming weeks. The federal court system is likely to halt major operations after February 1, and the Department of Agriculture does not have funding to pay food stamp benefits in March to roughly 40 million people.

The White House also faces a backlash from many federal workers, who face missing a second consecutive paycheck in the coming days. Some workers have balked at continuing without being paid, and their unions are filing legal action against the administration.

And there were new signs on Wednesday that federal agencies are still trying to comprehend the scope of their growing problems. The U.S. General Services Administration, an agency that manages many of the government’s leases and contracts, notified a number of departments that it doesn’t have a plan for how it can pay utility and lease payments in February if the shutdown persists. Many federal agencies lease space in commercial buildings around the country, and if the GSA can’t make rental payments it could incur major fees and other costs. This could also have a big impact on the property owners, which rely on large government payments for their income.

Meanwhile, the White House Office of Management and Budget has tried to take multiple steps to blunt the impact of the shutdown, and this week it sent guidance to agencies that would make it easier for some federal contractors to receive payments.

Senior OMB officials have tried to serve as a clearinghouse for agency leaders as they work to deal with the repurcussions of the shutdown, but Mulvaney’s direct involvement reflects how the White House is now attempting to understand the longer-term implications. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonimity to discuss the directive, said it was an attempt by Mulvaney to have agency leaders focused on the problems that will arise if Congress doesn’t pass a spending bill soon.

 

[47of74]

28 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Here's more on Lara's take on the shutdown. She needs to go fuck herself. "Lara Trump tells federal workers that their missed paychecks are sacrifices for the ‘future of our country’"

  Hide contents

As the longest government shutdown in U.S. history persists, Lara Trump is urging federal employees to “stay strong,” noting that they are sacrificing “for the future of our country” — a message that drew criticism.

Trump, who is President Trump’s daughter-in-law and campaign adviser, told the digital news network Bold TV earlier this week that the president is fighting for “what he knows is the right thing to do.”

“It’s not fair to you, and we all get that, but this is so much bigger than any one person,” she said. “It is a little bit of pain, but it’s going to be for the future of our country, and their children and their grandchildren and generations after them will thank them for their sacrifice right now. I know it’s hard. I know people have families, they have bills to pay, they have mortgages, they have rents that are due. But the president is trying every single day to come up with a good solution here and, the reality is, it’s been something that’s gone on for too long and been unaddressed — our immigration problem.

“If we do nothing right now, it’s never going to get fixed. This is our one opportunity.”

After Trump’s remarks, some people on social media scoffed at the idea that the shutdown is “a little bit of pain,” noting that about 800,000 government employees are affected.

The co-hosts on ABC’s “The View” also criticized the shutdown and Trump’s rationale for it.

“It’s just such a bad look,” co-host Meghan McCain said Wednesday morning on the show.

“If you are a millionaire’s wife,” Sunny Hostin added, “you may not understand that there are families that can’t afford to feed their children.”

Joy Behar then interjected: “But she’s married to [Eric Trump] — she knows pain.”

The partial government shutdown, which started Dec. 22, continues as President Trump demands $5.7 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and Democratic lawmakers decline to approve it.

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) proposed a temporary truce, allowing the federal government to reopen so that the Senate can try to find a solution. It includes a ban on lawmakers' ability to use government shutdowns as a negotiation tactic, according to news reports.

Lara Trump said the issue is that without the shutdown, the president has “no hand to play.”

Then she told government workers who are unable to work to “please stay strong.”

“We appreciate everything that you’re sacrificing,” Trump said on Bold TV. “We are behind you, and we’re going to do everything we can. I know the president is doing everything he can to resolve this quickly.”

 

Normally I'd say the let them eat cake moment of the show has been reached here but with the fuckwit branch trumpvidians running around I wouldn't be as confident about that now.