Here we go again. The federal government will shut down at midnight unless Congress agrees on a funding fix, which seems increasingly unlikely. While a lot of the national conversation is about who will take blame for yet another totally avoidable crisis, the signal often drowned out by that noise is that shutdowns are devastating to the Washington, DC, area.
Huge cuts to government employment and knock-on cuts in the private sector this year have already walloped the region’s economy, so any further interruption will hurt even worse, Terry Clower, who runs the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University, told WTOP. A recent report on the area’s economy says greater Washington’s unemployment rate increased more than eight times the national rate. Removing one of the pillars of the region’s economy, even temporarily, won’t help matters.
Information about this pending shutdown is difficult to come by, and we’ll update this post as we learn more. But here’s what we know so far.
I’m a fed. What’s going to happen with my pay?
Here’s a great guide. TL;DR: Anyone who’s furloughed or ordered to work because they’re considered “essential” will not get paid until the shutdown ends, though they will receive back pay at that point thanks to a law President Trump signed to end the 35-day shutdown he caused during his first term. Health insurance will continue. Feds can apply for unemployment during the shutdown, but they’ll have to pay back anything they receive.
Will I be able to visit museums or national parks in DC?
It would be splendid if we knew that. Neither a National Park Service spokesperson nor a Smithsonian Institution spokesperson had any plans they could share when we asked Tuesday morning.
How about other agencies?
Agency contingency plans, which just last week were scarce, have begun to appear. (OMB used to gather them on its site, but apparently it’s not doing that anymore.) Here is OPM’s guidance. Here’s the Department of State’s plan. Here’s Treasury’s. Here’s DOD’s, which says about half its civilian workforce will be furloughed. Here’s DOJ’s. Here’s Interior’s. Here’s Agriculture’s. Here’s Labor’s. Here’s HHS’s. Here’s Transportation’s. Here’s Education’s. Here’s the VA’s. Here’s DHS’s. We’ll update this post when more appear.
I’m a contractor. Will I get paid?
Things do not look especially great.
What about staff on the Hill?
Depends on whether their boss designates them “essential.”
How about members of Congress?
Don’t worry about your elected representatives: They’ll get paid anyway.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
