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 entered its 14th day on Tuesday, October 14, with little progress.
Although the House is technically in recess this week, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Democrats back to Washington, D.C., for an evening meeting “to discuss a path forward related to the Republican shutdown and the Republican-created health care crisis.”
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene at 3 p.m. ET, with a vote expected around 5:30 p.m. This is the latest attempt to approve a bill to fund the government, following seven previous failed attempts. However, it is unlikely that it will be able to secure the 60 votes needed for passage.
Let’s take a look at the ongoing shutdown and what we know:
Is the federal government still closed?
Yes, the federal government has remained largely shut down since shortly after midnight on October 1st.
Nearly 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed and ordered not to report to work. Other employees, including military personnel and air traffic controllers, must work without pay until a budget deal is reached.
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 modifications to the expiring ACA tax cuts, but the issue should 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. Air traffic controllers will receive a portion of their pay on October 14 for the work they did before the shutdown, Reuters reported.
Will food assistance continue under SNAP and WIC?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the nation’s largest food assistance program, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, will continue operating during the closure as funding allows, according to closure planning documents issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
What does the military shutdown mean for the military?
While 1.3 active duty military personnel could receive paychecks on Wednesday, 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.
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 Michelle Del Rey, Daniel de Visse, Bert Jansen, Joey Garrison, Melina Kahn, Medra Lee, Andrea Riquier, Zachary Schermele, Mike Snyder, Mary Walrus-Holdridge
