US government shuts down as Congress fails to vote on budget - BBC News

9/2/2018

US government shuts down as Congress fails to vote on budget

Senator Rand Paul (C) poses with friends from the House during a break in proceedings

The US government has officially shut down for the second time this year because Congress failed to meet a deadline to vote on a new budget.

Senators struggled with last-minute objections from Republican Rand Paul, but have now passed the bill, which has gone to the House for its vote.

Federal funding for government services expired at midnight (05:00 GMT).

The 600-page plan proposes an increase in spending, by about $300bn (£215bn), on defence and domestic services.

If the plan is passed in the House of Representatives and signed by the president in the next few hours, the shutdown could be rescinded before the US working day begins on Friday.

Stacks of pizzas were ordered in to Senators' offices in anticipation of a long night

But it is not clear how the House will vote, and how public services would be affected on Friday if the shutdown were to continue.

What does a shutdown mean for ordinary people?

Many government agencies close during a shutdown as their future funding is theoretically not secure. Many employees are asked not to come to work and will not be paid - although some will get back pay.

Employees deemed essential - including military personnel and air traffic controllers - are required to work regardless of shutdowns.

Three weeks ago, some people lost three days of work in a shutdown but this time, it is not yet clear which agencies will close.

The federal Office of Personnel Management said employees should "refer to their home agency for guidance on reporting for duty".

CNN is reporting that if the shutdown is not averted, government agencies will still be able to call their employees in for a half day's work to make the shutdown go smoothly.

The winners and losers of the last government shutdown, three weeks ago

Some Twitter users shared stories of how the uncertainty would affect people.

@brianschatz

I was leaving the building and met a woman who cleans offices in the capitol. She came at 1 am to start her shift and was sent home without pay because of the shutdown. She was planning to buy a car today and is unsure what to do. A solemn reminder that this isn’t a game.

6:24 PM - Feb 9, 2018

BiRevgal

@BiRevgal

Replying to @BiRevgal

But for those of you wondering how do these impact Govt workers—for ppl like me they are obnoxious. For new Govt workers & lower wage Govt that have student loan debt, no savings, and rely paycheck to paycheck etc—these shutdowns are scary as hell

10:17 AM - Feb 9, 2018

Cerebral Mischief

@CerebralMisjif

Replying to @CerebralMisjif

if you had no ability to plan/budget to pay crucial bills not to mention groceries. I have huge respect for you folks and wish you nothing but the best. Hang in there and hopefully the children in Washington will figure out how to do their damn jobs. /end

2:38 PM - Feb 9, 2018

End of Twitter post by @CerebralMisjif

Why are budget hawks opposed to the bill?

While the spending bill's funding for the Pentagon has delighted the national security wing of the party, fiscal conservatives are up in arms about ramifications for the nation's debt.

In a doom-laden speech, Senator Paul angrily charged his fellow Republicans with fiscal profligacy, accusing his colleagues of "spending us into oblivion".

"I ran for office because I was very critical of President Obama's trillion-dollar deficits," he said.

Government workers on what happens during a shutdown

"Now we have Republicans, hand in hand with Democrats, offering us trillion-dollar deficits.

"I can't in all good honesty, in all good faith, just look the other way just because my party is now complicit in the deficits."

This would be "the very definition of hypocrisy", he added.

What's in this bill?

The 650-page spending plan was only unveiled on Wednesday night, so the finer details are unclear.

White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said the package would increase spending by "just shy" of $300bn.

The Washington Post puts the figure at half a trillion dollars.

The bill contains $165bn of additional defence spending and $131bn in domestic spending, including funding for healthcare, infrastructure and tackling the US opioid crisis, reports Reuters news agency.

The proposal would raise the US debt ceiling until March 2019.

Why are some Democrats unhappy?

Despite the support of their Senate leader Chuck Schumer, who says the budget accord will "break the long cycle of spending crises", some Democrats have complained that the bill does not address immigration.

The party's leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said on Thursday morning she was opposed to the plan, but would not order rank-and-file Democrats to vote against it.

The California congresswoman has called for the bill to include a provision shielding so-called Dreamers, young immigrants who entered the US illegally as children, from deportation.

Top Democratic Nancy Pelosi breaks record in eight-hour speech

Her remarks came a day after she told the stories of immigrants for eight hours on the floor of the lower chamber in a record-breaking speech.

Obama-era guarantees for those immigrants were cancelled by US President Donald Trump and are set to become invalid next month.

Illinois representative Luis Gutierrez, one of the leading congressional advocates for immigrants, is urging colleagues to vote against the plan.

"Don't collude with this administration," he said.