The federal government went into shutdown mode Saturday at midnight, affecting residents waiting for tax refunds, signing up for Social Security or Medicare, or planning to visit a national park, museum or monument.
These are just some of the “nonessential services” suspended during the shutdown, the result of the U.S. Senate's failure to get the needed 60 votes for a bill to keep the government running on a short-term basis.
The Republican bill to continue the funding fizzled late Friday, with the Democrats overwhelmingly rejecting it because of its failure to include provisions to protect “Dreamers” -- immigrants who enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program and who would be subject to deportation if the program isn’t renewed.
U.S. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, said in a statement that she was “frustrated and saddened” by what is happening and said her offices in Palo Alto and Washington, D.C., will remain open during the shutdown. Meanwhile, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives were scheduling meetings over the weekend in hopes of quickly re-opening the government.
According to Eshoo, the shutdown will also prevent people from applying for visas, freeze clean-up projects overseen by the federal government and prevent the Federal Housing Administration and the Small Business Administration from issuing loans. About 850,000 federal workers will be placed on furlough, according to Eshoo, roughly similar to the number during the last shutdown in 2013.
Services deemed “essential,” including armed forces and air-traffic control, will continue to be provided. Mail will continue to be delivered and Department of Veterans’ Affairs hospitals will remain open, though during the 2013 shutdown some veteran benefits were temporarily reduced. Unemployment programs may also be squeezed if the federal money that helps fund them dries up.
Meanwhile, the political blame game is certain to escalate throughout the weekend, with the Republicans blaming the Democrats for rejecting the short-term funding bill over DACA and the Democrats emphasizing the Republicans’ failures to fund the government despite controlling both chambers of the Congress and the White House.
In her statement, Eshoo blamed the majority party for failing to bring a budget to the floor for a vote (the Republicans have been relying on a series of short-term continuing resolutions).
“It is a source of embarrassment to run a great country this way,” Eshoo said.
Comments
Blossom Valley
on Jan 22, 2018 at 2:19 pm
on Jan 22, 2018 at 2:19 pm
Representative Eshoo - too late. The shutdown seems to have been averted for now. You are right that we should have a budget instead of a series of continuing resolutions. It is misleading for anyone to state that the majority party controls both chambers of Congress, however. They do not control the Senate in any meaningful sense, only a technical one, as long as 60 votes are required to invoke cloture and bring a bill to a floor vote.
Registered user
another community
on Jan 22, 2018 at 2:54 pm
Registered user
on Jan 22, 2018 at 2:54 pm
You got to love Anna and the Voice. Rep Eshoo voted FOR the government shutdown!
another community
on Jan 22, 2018 at 4:48 pm
on Jan 22, 2018 at 4:48 pm
Mail will continue to be delivered? That's good since the USPS doesn't get any tax money for their operations
Registered user
another community
on Jan 22, 2018 at 7:35 pm
Registered user
on Jan 22, 2018 at 7:35 pm
Now you can have some more love. Eshoo voted to keep the government shutdown!
another community
on Jan 22, 2018 at 8:57 pm
on Jan 22, 2018 at 8:57 pm
Oh how many decades have past since people like my family had intelligent representation in congress. It is only a faint memory now. Eshoo et al are embarrassing.
The Crossings
on Jan 23, 2018 at 2:27 pm
on Jan 23, 2018 at 2:27 pm
It's a source of embarrassment that Anna Eshoo and the rest of her party think that illegal aliens should be given more consideration than citizens. Her job is to represent American citizens, not those who have chosen to break the law.
She should be ashamed of herself.
Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Jan 23, 2018 at 2:38 pm
on Jan 23, 2018 at 2:38 pm
@psr, Accusing fault in one does not mean you have found innocence with another on a similar topic.
Be brave enough to call out the obvious failures of your own party. Only then will you be a truly free man, only then will you be a true patriot. It starts right now.
We were in a no win situation last election. It was a "s' sandwich we were being asked to bite. Sadly, too many people are more than willing to take a bite out of the s sandwich, but only the sheeple will proclaim how delicious it is rather than admit their choice was bad from the start, yes, even if the other choice was also bad.
The Crossings
on Jan 24, 2018 at 3:59 pm
on Jan 24, 2018 at 3:59 pm
@ Not all are that strong
What does Anna Eshoo's obvious attempt at virtue-shaming the GOP have to do with any faults in that party? This is a discussion about her comments regarding the Democrat Party's attempt to get an illegal Executive Order codified by holding the budget hostage. Any faults in the GOP, real or imagined, don't excuse that.
As for the choices we had in the last election, that is simply not at issue here. We had a legal election which followed the process called out in our Constitution. The fact that you are not happy with the result doesn't change the reality. Perhaps you could try to look at the issues and stop making your decisions based on who presented the idea.
In case you don't remember, the Democrat Party used to be in favor of border security at one point (at least they SAID they were). Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama all made speeches in favor of a stronger border, to the cheers of the crowds they addressed. Is that border no longer important simply because Donald Trump plans to do the very thing that those people only paid lip service to? Why are Democrats now so against building the wall that they promised to build in 1986? Democrats got amnesty for millions of illegal aliens on the strength of their promise they would build a wall and NEVER ask for amnesty again. They got their amnesty, but we never got the wall. This time, the wall should come first. They have shown for decades that they won't keep their word after they get what they want. This time it should be a wall and no amnesty. That is the only fair outcome.
Also, why do you assume I am a man? That seems pretty sexist, if you ask me. Perhaps you should spend more time in introspection as to why you would make such an assumption.