Official Government Shutdown 2023 Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kinds of jobs are excepted?

Totally depends by agency and funding source. Look in your agency plan and see if you fit in one of these:

1. Funded by other than appropriated funds.
2. Authorized to continue without funding.
3. Implied by law as necessary.
4. Necessary to discharge the President's Constitutional duties.
5. Necessary for safety or protection of human life and property.
6. Necessary for orderly cessation of functions.

[Anonymous]

Often I go hiking on Shenandoah on days off. Doesn't quite work out during a shutdown.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my agency has always used carry over funds to continue working. even during shut-downs we always had to report. i suspect the same this time.

Same, although we work with other agencies that are usually affected by shutdowns so it always slows things down anyway.

[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.

What's your plan for the chaos if the government isn't shut down?

There won’t be chaos because he will be working in a normal capacity and thus won’t create extra projects for himself. This problem only arises when he’s not supposed to be working (vacations, holidays, shut downs, etc).

[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.

No, they don't take your laptop away but it is technically a felony to violate the Anti-Deficiency Act by working during a shutdown unless you are identified as an essential worker. Questionable whether this is actually enforced but your DH should follow the instructions from his agency as he could be disciplined or fired for disobeying.

There are many agencies that do enforce this. As some posters have noted on other threads “IT knows.” He should not work.

[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.

No, they don't take your laptop away but it is technically a felony to violate the Anti-Deficiency Act by working during a shutdown unless you are identified as an essential worker. Questionable whether this is actually enforced but your DH should follow the instructions from his agency as he could be disciplined or fired for disobeying.

There are many agencies that do enforce this. As some posters have noted on other threads “IT knows.” He should not work.

Last time I didn't know anyone working on the side. My agency was very strict. You were to put up an out of office and not even check your email.

[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.

What's your plan for the chaos if the government isn't shut down?

There won’t be chaos because he will be working in a normal capacity and thus won’t create extra projects for himself. This problem only arises when he’s not supposed to be working (vacations, holidays, shut downs, etc).

This is a Type A workaholic dh problem pp.

If there is a shutdown, and he is nonessential, you could hide his laptop after the first couple of days and tell him he will get it back when reopening is announced. Then he can commence to work on his at home to do list.

[Anonymous]

It's not gonna happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What's your plan for the chaos if the government isn't shut down?

There won’t be chaos because he will be working in a normal capacity and thus won’t create extra projects for himself. This problem only arises when he’s not supposed to be working (vacations, holidays, shut downs, etc).

This is a Type A workaholic dh problem pp.

If there is a shutdown, and he is nonessential, you could hide his laptop after the first couple of days and tell him he will get it back when reopening is announced. Then he can commence to work on his at home to do list.

I know it’s a relationship problem. I just wanted to know if laptops get collected/left in-office.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do we think the odds are of a shutdown?

My goal would be to have a staycation - gym, relax, TV, and unwind. What about you?

How nice for you. You realize that the federal workforce is only about 25-35% civil service. There are about 65-75% of the federal workforce that are contractors. While the civil service gets backpay virtually always, the federal contract workforce only gets paid when they work. In many cases, work stops at the shutdown and they are officially furloughed until work resumes. And they don't get back pay.

We are lucky in my household that we have one civil servant and one contractor. So even though I make more income as the contractor, my spouse is guaranteed back pay. But I know plenty of dual federal contractor families who lose all household income during a shutdown.

F the conservative wing who don't care about the federal workforce.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

What's your plan for the chaos if the government isn't shut down?

There won’t be chaos because he will be working in a normal capacity and thus won’t create extra projects for himself. This problem only arises when he’s not supposed to be working (vacations, holidays, shut downs, etc).

This is a Type A workaholic dh problem pp.

If there is a shutdown, and he is nonessential, you could hide his laptop after the first couple of days and tell him he will get it back when reopening is announced. Then he can commence to work on his at home to do list.

I know it’s a relationship problem. I just wanted to know if laptops get collected/left in-office.

This is on an agency-by-agency and sometimes even just a case-by-case basis. I know many folks at my agency who are told to leave their laptops in the office when they leave the day before a shutdown. I also know many that are told to take their laptops home. It depends on their jobs. The ones who are told to take their laptops home are told they can check for mail or contact in some essentialy personnel needs information. I also know some that are told to have it home so that they can check updates and status as soon as work resumes. And others that work through the shutdown. I am a contractor and our contract is forwarded funded up to three months at a time and we can continue to work and charge as long as there is funding. We usually get weekly status updates during a shutdown for how much longer each given task is funded to work.

[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.

No, they don't take your laptop away but it is technically a felony to violate the Anti-Deficiency Act by working during a shutdown unless you are identified as an essential worker. Questionable whether this is actually enforced but your DH should follow the instructions from his agency as he could be disciplined or fired for disobeying.

There are many agencies that do enforce this. As some posters have noted on other threads “IT knows.” He should not work.

PP here and sorry I meant whether they actually refer folks to DOJ for prosecution. I realize that wasn't clear from how I wrote it but I agree the risk of discipline or termination is there though.

Source: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-06-382sp.pdf
"As far as GAO is aware, it appears that no officer or employee has ever been prosecuted, much less convicted, for a violation of the Antideficiency Act as of this writing."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do we think the odds are of a shutdown?

My goal would be to have a staycation - gym, relax, TV, and unwind. What about you?

How nice for you. You realize that the federal workforce is only about 25-35% civil service. There are about 65-75% of the federal workforce that are contractors. While the civil service gets backpay virtually always, the federal contract workforce only gets paid when they work. In many cases, work stops at the shutdown and they are officially furloughed until work resumes. And they don't get back pay.

We are lucky in my household that we have one civil servant and one contractor. So even though I make more income as the contractor, my spouse is guaranteed back pay. But I know plenty of dual federal contractor families who lose all household income during a shutdown.

F the conservative wing who don't care about the federal workforce.

I've never heard a count of federal contractors that was that high, where do you get your numbers? Federal back pay is not guaranteed, but it's always happened in the past so it is likely. I thought most contractors paid their employees for a while too, but I guess they have different choices in the private sector.

[Anonymous]

Praying for a shutdown that lasts a few weeks. Morale is so low at my agency.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Praying for a shutdown that lasts a few weeks. Morale is so low at my agency.

People are a lot happier when they stop getting paid for an unknown amount of time?