Smithsonian Institution and National Zoo close due to funding stalemate
The Smithsonian Institution and the National Zoo have closed amid a lack of federal funding due to continued closures.
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The partial federal government shutdown is in its 16th day as of Thursday, October 16, as Democrats and Republicans continue to spar in Congress over a budget impasse. Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, but they need at least seven Democratic votes to pass the funding bill in the Senate, where Democrats favor extending health insurance subsidies.
Democratic leaders say they will not bow to President Donald Trump’s pressure tactics, including mass layoffs, and on Wednesday, the Senate voted for the ninth time against a Republican funding bill aimed at reopening the government. The Senate is scheduled to vote again Thursday at 11 a.m. ET.
Is the federal government still closed?
Yes, the federal government has remained largely shut down since shortly after midnight on October 1st.
More than 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed and ordered not to report to work. Personnel deemed essential to public safety, including military personnel, law enforcement officers, border patrol agents and air traffic controllers, are required to work regardless. President Trump signed an executive order on October 15 directing the Department of Defense to preserve pay for active duty military personnel despite the government shutdown, but this does not apply to other federal employees.
What do Democrats and Republicans want from reopening the government?
Democrats want to secure tax cuts for the 24 million Americans who get insurance through the Affordable Care Act (known as Obamacare) and refuse to support government spending bills that do not address the issue.
Senate Democrats want to make the tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year, permanent and provide reassurance to prevent the Trump administration from temporarily withholding funds.
Republicans and the president have said they are open to considering fixes to the expiring ACA tax cuts, but want the issue to be addressed separately from the ongoing budget impasse. Republicans also argue that the Democratic proposal could pay some of the health insurance premiums of undocumented immigrants. That’s not true, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
What about Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid?
According to the Social Security Administration’s closure plan, the agency will continue to provide retirement and disability benefits, but will furlough 12% of its employees and suspend marketing campaigns.
Payments will continue under the Medicare and Medicaid health care programs as well.
Will American mail be delivered?
The USPS said in a statement that it is open because the U.S. Postal Service is not dependent on Congress for funding.
What about the airport?
More than 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees will still be required to report to work during the shutdown.
Will food assistance continue under SNAP and WIC?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the nation’s largest food assistance program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, will continue to operate as funds allow.
But the federal agency warned that if the shutdown doesn’t end, there won’t be enough money to pay all of November’s SNAP benefits.
State health officials across the country, including North Carolina, Wisconsin and Minnesota, have begun warning recipients that they may run out of money for November.
What does the military shutdown mean for the military?
President Trump signed an order on October 15 directing the Department of Defense to ensure active duty military personnel are paid despite the federal government shutdown.
As of Oct. 15, 1.3 million active-duty military personnel received paychecks, but about 55% of the Pentagon’s 740,000 civilian workforce has been furloughed, including employees in training, acquisition, and administrative support. Civilians in cybersecurity, medical care, weapons systems maintenance, intelligence, and logistics are still working and are not included in President Trump’s pay order for active-duty employees.
The National Guard, which President Trump deployed to American cities, must also remain active.
What about Homeland Security, Immigration and Border Patrol agents?
Only 5% of the Department of Homeland Security’s 271,000 employees are furloughed, including those involved in research, planning, training and auditing.
Secret Service agents, immigration and border officials, airport security screeners, Coast Guard personnel and Federal Emergency Management Agency emergency personnel remain on the job. Still, not all will be paid in a timely manner, and only those roles covered by the president’s executive order will be paid.
The shutdown is the 15th since 1981 and is expected to be the fourth longest in U.S. history, surpassing the 12-day shutdown in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter. The longest shutdown lasted 35 days during President Trump’s first term in 2018-2019.
Contributors: USA TODAY’s Natalie Alland, Zach Anderson, Joey Garrison, Bert Jansen, Melina Khan, Sudiksha Kochi, Zachery Shermere, Saman Shafiq, Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Sarah D. Wyer. Reuters
