How Will a Federal Government Shutdown Affect You?

Whether the federal government shuts down or not is yet to be seen. The hard and fast deadline for a negotiated agreement on the federal budget is midnight, tonight.

In the mean time we watch and wait and swirl with questions about if and what will be affected should Washington go into temporary mothballs.

Honestly, the list of questions about who and what will be affected is long, and the list of answers is longer still.

MSNBC posted a good FAQ about the shutdown. You can read the entire post HERE.

But I’ve compiled some highlights:

What would cause a shutdown of federal agencies?
If Congress fails to enact a spending bill before Friday, federal agencies would begin to restrict operations and furlough non-essential workers. It would be the first such shutdown since 1996.

Why would a government shutdown be only partial and not complete?
According to the Office of Management and Budget memo which regulates shutdowns, the federal employees kept on the job during a shutdown include those who “are engaged in military, law enforcement, or direct provision of health care activities” and those who are necessary “to protect life and property.”

If I’m receiving Social Security benefits, will I still get them in the event of a partial government shutdown?

Social Security Commissioner Michael Astrue said that Social Security payments would continue, and applications for benefits would continue to be processed, though some services would be limited.

Would elderly people on Medicare still have their medical bills paid if there were a government shutdown?
Yes.

How about Americans serving in the Army, Navy or the other military services — will they get paid if there’s a shutdown?

Their pay would be interrupted — they’d have to wait to collect their pay until Congress and the president agreed to a spending bill.

What about people who are getting unemployment insurance benefits?
Unemployment insurance is funded jointly by the state and the federal governments and benefits would not be affected by a short-term federal shutdown.

What about mail delivery?

According to NBC News correspondent John Yang, the Postal Service doesn’t use federal funds for mail delivery so it will not be affected.

Would the food in local grocery stores be affected by a government shutdown?
No. Since federal inspection of meat, poultry, eggs and grain comes under the heading of food safety, it would continue during a government shutdown.

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