Government Shutdown a Shutdown Furlough Takes Place

Government Shutdown

A shutdown furlough takes place in case of a lapse in appropriations, mostly at the commencement of a fiscal year, where funds have not been appropriated for that year, or when continuing resolution expires, or failing to pass a new continuing resolution or appropriations law. Whenever a shutdown furlough exists, agency affected is forced to shut down all the activities that are funded by annual appropriations that the law does not allow. In fact, this agency will face very little to do, failure of having lead time to plan as well as implement a shutdown furlough.

Following the recent shutdown furlough a direction was given to government agencies to execute plans for a systematic shutdown, which was to take place after Congress decided not to pass a funding bill to avoid disruption to some other government services. The tasked Office of Management and Budget with carrying out the shutdown process, urged Congress to loosen their stand and restore the operation of essential public services and programs, since the House and Senate failed to come to an agreement on the way to go on with government funding.

Even as the highly critical government services will somehow go on with their activities as usual, failure to receive fund for several others will be an insignificant stress for some Americans, yet a serious concerns for others. In his remarks President Barack Obama said that women, seniors and children would be "hamstrung" in case there was to be a government shutdown. He also regrets about this saying that "The shutdown will have a very real impact on real people right away."

As we are aware that conflict is endemic to budgeting and in case conflict between Congress and the President is an impediment to the timely enactment of the annual appropriations acts or continuing resolutions then we are definitely met with the same situation that is underway of government shutdown. For this situation to be avoided and its repeat, it is important that at the time of high-stakes negotiations regarding appropriation measures, the Congress and the President are left with different options:

Applying a single or several interim continuing resolutions (CRs) in extending temporary funding beyond the start of a fiscal year, in anticipation of negotiators making final decisions over funding levels of full year.

Reaching to an agreement pertaining regular appropriations acts prior to October 1, which is in the beginning of a new fiscal year.

Failing to agree on full year or interim appropriations acts, leading to a funding gap as well as a corresponding shutdown of federal activities.