If Congress fails to pass a continuing resolution to fund the government by the end of Friday, millions of federal workers could go on furlough without pay. They can be licensed or asked to work without pay.
Some members of the military and other critical government workers, such as TSA agents and air traffic controllers, as the holiday travel frenzy begins.
Some federal government contractors are not guaranteed back pay, like federal employees, which can have dire consequences for workers living paycheck to paycheck.
Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) workers are poised to strike, and a union leader is calling on Congress to defund the government. BOP workers are considered essential, so they will have to work even if they are paid.
“Future closures threaten the fundamental financial security of our dedicated law enforcement employees,” said AFGE Local 4070 President Jon Zumkehr.
Zumkehr said that during the last long-term shutdown in 2019, many workers were forced to seek other forms of employment.
Despite efforts to avoid a shutdown, plans are still being made if no deal is reached before Friday night’s deadline. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has already contacted agencies about their plans in the event of a government shutdown, an OMB official told ABC News. The official said the initial communication with the agencies about their closure plans happened last Friday.
It is part of that communication OMB procedureThe law mandates that, one week before appropriations bills expire, the bureau must “communicate with senior agency officials to remind agencies of their responsibilities to review and update closure plans” and “share a draft communication template to notify staff.” about the credit situation”.
A TSA employee works behind Plexiglas shields at Ronald Reagan National Airport on July 22, 2020.
Evelyn Hockstein/The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE
The procedure also states that the White House office must continue to communicate with agencies ahead of any planned shutdown. The policy states that approximately two business days prior to a planned funding cutoff, “agencies must notify employees of the funding status.”
ABC News Senior Congress Correspondent Rachel Scott talked to a federal contractor last year about a shutdownThe 35-day government shutdown in 2018 took months to recover economically.
Lawmakers in Congress continue to negotiate a deal that would keep the government funded. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told ABC News on Wednesday that lawmakers had a “productive” meeting in the evening in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office.
“We’re going to continue working night and day to get an agreement that we can bring to the floor,” Scalise said, adding that he hopes the House “fixes it” on Thursday.
The US Capitol building in Washington, DC
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Johnson’s original plan called for extending government spending at current levels through March and added other provisions including relief for disaster victims and farmers and a pay raise for members of Congress. That plan is in jeopardy, as President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk have pushed Republicans to reject the deal.
Trump has pushed Republicans to tackle the debt limit before taking office, saying if not, he will have to fight Democrats “to the end.”
In a joint statement Wednesday evening, Trump and Vice President JD Vance urged Congress to “pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give (Senate Majority Leader) Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want.”
What will happen to US military members and DOD civilians if the government shuts down?
If there is a government shutdown, US military operations abroad and at home will continue, but US service members will not be paid during that time.
Defense Department civilians will be instructed to report to their offices Monday morning and have four hours to set up out-of-office email and voicemail and then leave their phones and laptops behind, so they won’t be able to work. at home during lockdown. However, a good number of DOD civilians will be “exempted” or essential and will be required to go on duty, but without pay.
Both the US military and DOD civilians are guaranteed retroactive pay after the shutdown ends, under the Fair Treatment of Government Employees Act of 2019.
Contractors working for the Pentagon will continue to work if their contract is funded through the current year, but if a contractor is no longer under a funded contract, then they are not paid during the shutdown.
ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Sarah Kolinovsky, Luke Barr, Luis Martinez and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
