Official Government Shutdown 2023 Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens if there is a shutdown and work travel has been scheduled for Sept 27–Oct 2? Does the whole trip get canceled?

They will likely cancel the trip if no deal just before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens if there is a shutdown and work travel has been scheduled for Sept 27–Oct 2? Does the whole trip get canceled?

You'll already be on the trip but will have to come home early.

I HATE this so much. It's such a waste of time and energy even when it doesn't happen (like pausing work so it's not caught in limbo during a potential shutdown).

During the last one (2013), I unpacked a kitchen after a move and it was useful to have that time off but still AWFUL for work and productivity with months of delays following.

It feels like congress needs built in pentalties for law makers if budgets can't be passed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens if there is a shutdown and work travel has been scheduled for Sept 27–Oct 2? Does the whole trip get canceled?

They will likely cancel the trip if no deal just before.

This is how my agency has handled it in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens if there is a shutdown and work travel has been scheduled for Sept 27–Oct 2? Does the whole trip get canceled?

They will likely cancel the trip if no deal just before.

At my agency in the past, you would go on the trip but needed to end the trip and return home early on Oct 1 if the government shut down. These were trips that involved meeting with non-USG organizations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nice to see people here planning cozy staycations, me time, and all that. Many feds live paycheck to paycheck. JFC with the being out of touch.

the real pain is inflicted on the contractors, who don't get back pay, can't work, and can't bill internally.

tangential question- do the daycares in federal buildings shut down, or continue? I know I'll have to pay regardless.

Contractors vary. The way ours are paid means they work during a shutdown even if there are no govies there, which is a huge waste of time and money since there's nothing for them to do. My DH is a contractor at a different agency and during a shutdown his employer puts everybody on business development and they bill internally; during the last big shutdown this allowed them to attract talent that other contractors laid off. There's no one answer.

Our daycare stays open to serve the people who must continue working. I'm sure that varies too, though.

Our federal daycare closed and still charges since they accrued expenses and still paid staff. Parents received a small amount back from what went unspent due to the shutdown. DH was excepted so paying for a nanny plus daycare was rough in prior shutdown.

[Anonymous]

This is shutdown related, but not job related. Will White House tours, Capitol tours, etc continue through September, and then stop 10/1 if there's a shutdown? Or will they stop earlier?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have approved leave for a family wedding in early October. What happens if I am deemed essential? (State Department in a regional bureau, if that offers any clues from past shutdowns. This would be my first as a fed and at State.)

As your boss on Monday if you’re on the excepted list. If so all leave us cancelled but they may be able to take you off the leave and furlough you.

+1. Different agency and been through too many shutdowns. I’ve been furloughed despite being essential because I was traveling on approved leave at the time the shutdown started. And, there was no expectation I would cut my trip short. I’ve have been furloughed because I had approved leave (vacation)— but, I had to prove I had pre-paid travel arrangements. And have been furloughed despite being essential for necessary medical care. Regular dentist visit needed to be rescheduled. Root canal or scheduled surgery, you can can take the leave. If you are going to get COVID, October 1 is the time.

Previously, if you were essential and furloughed, there was a downside no guarantee you would be paid for that time. We always were. But you never were 100% sure. Whereas, you were guaranteed pay for time worked. Now, everyone gets back pay when it’s over, those who work and those furloughed. So, I’m wishing ai had been more on the ball and booked a week at an air BNB in the mountains starting October 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is shutdown related, but not job related. Will White House tours, Capitol tours, etc continue through September, and then stop 10/1 if there's a shutdown? Or will they stop earlier?

They should not stop until the shutdown stops. It’s a very drop everything you are doing at the stroke of midnight situation. You get 4 hours for orderly shutdown. Which cannot be substantive work. It’s purely out of office replies on emails and phones. It takes 15 minutes, although we used to hang out and make gallows humor jokes for the 4 authorized hrs because we knew we’d at least get paid for that time. Now, we get paid anyway, so orderly shutdown is very short.

Which is what makes near misses so annoying. Congress pats itself on the back for narrowly avoiding a shutdown. But, no one sees how much time gets wasted preparing for the near misses. Whether the shutdown happen or not, you have to get your workload into position to be abandoned for a day, or week or more than a month with the least damage possible. In my case, it’s who is literally going to die if we don’t get this signed and out with a date before 10/1, and who will just live without cancer treatment for a while. It’s stressful and demoralizing. And I’m not the once who isn’t able to access life saving medical care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is likely, either on October 1st or later in the fall, and I hate it because I am excepted and would work very hard for delayed pay.

This! And I’d still pay absurd gas and parking fees.
F$$&ing hate these idiots on the hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Question for those who have been there: if you are non-essential, do they take your laptop away? DH is a workaholic and if they don’t physically take his computer, he will be working anyway.

But he also has a to-do list (that he created) for if there is a shut down. I don’t want to be in a situation where he’s non-essential, works anyway during the day, and then our evenings are spent in chaos as he tries to tackle his to-do list.

It is illegal for him to work. So doubt it.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been told unofficially that my agency has funds to stay open for some amount of time. They haven’t said how long yet, but in the past it’s been about a week. We also got a lot of IRA and BIL money-and people who charge time to those accounts (like me) will be excepted. (Unclear what happens to people who charge part of their time.) This will be my first time working during a shutdown and I’m temporarily covering for my boss who is moving to a new job next week. Awesome timing for me!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is shutdown related, but not job related. Will White House tours, Capitol tours, etc continue through September, and then stop 10/1 if there's a shutdown? Or will they stop earlier?

Former Senate employee. Congress doesn’t shutdown. This is an executive branch thing. Congress passes their funding, trust me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for those who have been there: if you are non-essential, do they take your laptop away? DH is a workaholic and if they don’t physically take his computer, he will be working anyway.

But he also has a to-do list (that he created) for if there is a shut down. I don’t want to be in a situation where he’s non-essential, works anyway during the day, and then our evenings are spent in chaos as he tries to tackle his to-do list.

It is illegal for him to work. So doubt it.

Yep, it would violate the Anti-Deficiency Act because your DH would be providing a service for the Government, thus the Government would incur an obligation to pay him (and it doesn't matter if your DH says he wants to work for free, that would be a "gift" which the Government likely couldn't accept). Violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act is a felony, should your DH's agency wish to pursue charges, and should DoJ agree to prosecute. At the very least, he will definitely be fired.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is shutdown related, but not job related. Will White House tours, Capitol tours, etc continue through September, and then stop 10/1 if there's a shutdown? Or will they stop earlier?

They should not stop until the shutdown stops. It’s a very drop everything you are doing at the stroke of midnight situation. You get 4 hours for orderly shutdown. Which cannot be substantive work. It’s purely out of office replies on emails and phones. It takes 15 minutes, although we used to hang out and make gallows humor jokes for the 4 authorized hrs because we knew we’d at least get paid for that time. Now, we get paid anyway, so orderly shutdown is very short.

Which is what makes near misses so annoying. Congress pats itself on the back for narrowly avoiding a shutdown. But, no one sees how much time gets wasted preparing for the near misses. Whether the shutdown happen or not, you have to get your workload into position to be abandoned for a day, or week or more than a month with the least damage possible. In my case, it’s who is literally going to die if we don’t get this signed and out with a date before 10/1, and who will just live without cancer treatment for a while. It’s stressful and demoralizing. And I’m not the once who isn’t able to access life saving medical care.

Thank you for sharing. That is horrible. These stories should be in the press.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Question for those who have been there: if you are non-essential, do they take your laptop away? DH is a workaholic and if they don’t physically take his computer, he will be working anyway.

But he also has a to-do list (that he created) for if there is a shut down. I don’t want to be in a situation where he’s non-essential, works anyway during the day, and then our evenings are spent in chaos as he tries to tackle his to-do list.

It is illegal for him to work. So doubt it.

Yep, it would violate the Anti-Deficiency Act because your DH would be providing a service for the Government, thus the Government would incur an obligation to pay him (and it doesn't matter if your DH says he wants to work for free, that would be a "gift" which the Government likely couldn't accept). Violation of the Anti-Deficiency Act is a felony, should your DH's agency wish to pursue charges, and should DoJ agree to prosecute. At the very least, he will definitely be fired.

Why doesn’t the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (which became law in 2019) modify this to some extent?