Top federal union warns of government shutdown – in weeks

At press time, the United States has a Jan. 19 deadline to approve spending or the federal government will shut down.

In November, Congress passed a short-term spending package to keep government functioning at current levels this month, ostensibly while a long-term deal is negotiated. It split passage of full-year appropriations bills into two dates: Jan. 19 for some federal agencies and Feb. 2 for others.

The short-term exercise in kicking the can down the road doesn’t include the White House’s nearly $106 billion request for wartime aid for Israel and Ukraine, plus humanitarian funding for Palestinians and other supplemental requests.

Republicans’ Right-wing Freedom Caucus is willing to hold up the funding unless assistance to Ukraine is linked to dramatic changes in border policy for asylum seekers and other migrants.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing federal and D.C. government employees, says, “A government shutdown is completely avoidable, yet the last shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion – $3 billion of which was never recovered. It put hard-working government employees’ livelihoods in limbo. Many struggled to pay bills and feed their families. It may happen all over again.”

Consequences include more than 800,000 federal workers could be required to work without pay or be locked out of their jobs; no new Social Security cards will be issued and veterans’ benefits claims stop being processed; hiring of law enforcement and other essential employees stops; processing visa and passport requests stop; and inspections of food, water, workplaces, chemical plants, and hazardous waste sites come to a halt.

AFGE President Everett Kelley said he was “hopeful that a bipartisan deal to avoid a government shutdown was possible, however unlikely it seemed at times. The costs to federal employees, to the economy, to our communities, and to the American people are simply too great.”

Based on previous shutdowns, contingency plans from the federal Office of Management and Budget, and collective bargaining agreements, the union summarized some examples of consequences of a 2024 shutdown:

■ According to the White House, all active-duty military personnel and most civilian employees will either be locked out of work without pay or required to work without pay. Those who are required to work but won’t get paid are those deemed “essential” like troops, law enforcement officers, and TSA officers.

■ The Social Security Administration would furlough 8,500 employees who will be locked out of work without pay. More than 52,500 will be required to work without pay.

■ At the Department of Defense, about 199,000 out of 805,000 civilian workers will be required to work without pay. About 166,000 will continue to work and get paid as they are not paid through annual appropriations. The rest – about 440,000 civilians– will be locked out of work without pay.

Up to 4 million military and civilian employees will be affected if Congress shuts down the government. About 2.2 million are federal employees. The rest are active-duty military and reservists.

■ NASA is expected to furlough 17,000 employees without pay while 1,300 will be required to work without pay.

The union urged Americans to phone Congress at (855) 222-9093 to share their concerns.