As many as 1.4 million federal civilian workers went the month of October without paychecks. That included 730,000 who were ordered to work without pay, and another 670,000 who were furloughed (placed on leave without pay). As this issue went to press Nov. 3, the shutdown of the federal government was on track to become the longest in U.S. history. Before 1980, the U.S. government never shut down, but in a sign of growing political dysfunction, there have been 11 shutdowns since, most just a few days long.
As of Nov. 1, Congress’ failure to fund the government threatened to curtail the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program popularly known as food stamps for the first time ever. One in eight Americans, 42 million people in all, receive the benefit. In Oregon, one in six residents receives food stamps, 757,000 people in all, including 210,000 children and 130,000 seniors.
Funds for the government’s Head Start child care program for low-income children also ran out on Nov. 1. Head Start serves about 750,000 children nationally through local organizations that are funded through grants. The funding lapse has a cascading effect as previously awarded grants run out. An estimated 65,000 children are in programs whose grant periods ended as of November.
To pay 1.2 million members of the armed forces and National Guard, the Trump administration ordered the Pentagon to use unspent funds Oct. 15 and again Nov. 1.
But the White House initially declined to do the same in the case of food stamps, even though the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which houses SNAP, had $5.5 billion in contingency funds available. Those funds would be enough to cover half of the promised benefits for November. Oregon and two dozen other states sued the USDA to compel the federal government to allocate those contingency funds, and on Oct. 31 two federal judges ordered the government to use the funds.
Among the idled federal agencies are several of key importance to organized labor, including the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which ceased almost all case handling, stopped holding union elections, and paused investigations of unfair labor practice charges.
The NLRB’s closure led at least one group of workers to resort to the original method of winning union recognition: strike until the employer recognizes the union. About 150 workers at Horseshoe Casino in Indiana had an election scheduled to show support for Teamsters Local 135. With the NLRB unable to hold the election and the employer refusing recognition, they walked out on Oct. 17 and remain out.
Because Social Security and Medicare have their own ongoing funding stream that doesn’t require additional appropriations from Congress, benefits continue, but many agency workers are furloughed.
What’s the shutdown about?
The shutdown began at midnight Sept. 30 when congressional appropriations that fund federal agencies expired. The Republican-led House passed a “continuing resolution” Sept. 19 on an almost entirely 217-212 party-line vote. A continuing resolution is a bill to fund the government temporarily. Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but minority Democrats have used the filibuster procedure to prevent a vote on the continuing resolution. Senate Democrats have said they won’t stop blocking the vote on funding the government until Republicans agree to extend health insurance premium premium subsidies. In 2021, Congress increased subsidies for the insurance that’s purchased by individuals on the state “Obamacare” exchanges, but those increases expired Oct. 31. Because of that, on Nov. 1, more than 22 million Americans who buy insurance on the exchanges were expected to see their premiums more than double on average, according to an estimate by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
It takes two sides to maintain a standoff, but an Oct. 24-28 poll by ABC News found that 46% of Americans blame Republicans while 37% blame Democrats. National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler has made it clear in press statements that she blames President Trump and his allies for the shutdown, and other national unions have made similar statements.
But on Oct. 27, American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) called on the Senate to pass the continuing resolution and grant back pay to those who were furloughed through no fault of their own. AFGE is the largest federal employees union, representing more than 800,000 federal employees.
“A strong America requires a functioning government — one that pays its bills, honors its commitments, and treats its workforce with respect by paying them on time,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said in a press statement. “It’s time for our leaders to start focusing on how to solve problems for the American people, rather than on who is going to get the blame for a shutdown that Americans dislike.”
Government resources put to partisan use
Every previous shutdown has had a blame game. But this time, the Trump administration is using official government channels to score partisan points. Numerous federal agencies are using official agency websites and automated employee emails to deliver partisan attacks on Democrats. “The Radical Left Democrats shut down the government,” said the U.S. Forest Service web site. “Radical liberals in Congress are trying to shut down the government to achieve their crazy fantasy of open borders, ‘transgender’ for everybody and men competing in women’s sports,” said a press release from the Veterans Administration. The Department of Education replaced employees’ out-of-office email messages without giving notice or seeking consent, inserting partisan messages that blame “Democrat Senators” for the shutdown. Those examples and many more are violations of the 1939 Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from partisan activity while on the job. AFGE filed a federal lawsuit Oct. 3 protesting the violations.
The Trump administration is also trying to use the shutdown to make further cuts like the ones ordered earlier this year when billionaire Elon Musk was in charge of a newly announced Department of Government Efficiency. Leading up to the shutdown, the White House Office of Management and Budget told government agencies to prepare for permanent reductions in force. Once the shutdown began, an estimated 4,000 federal employees received notice that their positions were eliminated. AFSCME and AFGE challenged the reductions in federal court, and on Oct. 15 a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately halt the mass firing of federal employees. Six other unions joined the lawsuit Oct. 17.
With the Senate still deadlocked, on Oct. 30 President Trump called on Republican Senate leaders to get rid of the filibuster rule.
