What to know today
SHUTDOWN BEGINS: The federal government shutdown began just after midnight today after the Senate failed to pass a short-term funding bill.
WHAT COMES NEXT: The Senate is expected reconvene this morning and vote on the same two bills that it failed to pass last night — one from Democrats that contains key health care provisions and one from Republicans that does not.
AGENCY PLANS: Every federal department and agency has its own set of procedures for operating during a shutdown. Many federal employees will be furloughed, but others may need to show up for work without pay. President Donald Trump has also threatened to impose mass layoffs on federal workers.
We’d like to hear from you about how you’re experiencing the government shutdown, whether you’re a federal employee who can’t work right now or someone who is feeling the effects of shuttered services in your everyday life. Please contact us at tips@nbcuni.com or reach out to us here.
Members of Congress still get paid during a government shutdown
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Millions of federal workers won’t get paid during a government shutdown. But the people who could prevent or end a shutdown — members of Congress — will still receive a paycheck.
That’s because their pay is protected under Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution, which states: “The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.”
Read the full story here.
Federal employees were told to brace for a shutdown — and blame Democrats
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Federal employees who would be impacted by a government shutdown received a memo yesterday informing them of possible furloughs, along with a partisan accusation that Democrats in Congress were to blame.
The memo — sent to the Department of Health and Human Services, Education Department, the Justice Department and Labor Department, among others — begins by saying that Trump “opposes a government shutdown” and supports a House-passed Republican bill that would keep the government funded into November.
Read the full story here.
