To the shock of almost no one, the House and Senate are scrambling to keep the government from shutting down Thursday at midnight when the current Continuing Resolution (CR) expires. This time, it appears that the House and Senate have very different goals for the next CR, and the lack of alignment between the two chambers may cause a lapse in appropriations (i.e., a government shutdown).
What we know:
- Funding for appropriated agencies runs out at midnight Thursday. The House and Senate are not close to compromise. The House voted on a CR Tuesday but the Senate has yet to vote in a CR bill of their own. The two versions are expected to look very different making compromise difficult.
- Expect very late notice Thursday from OPM and OMB to agencies to begin ‘informal notifications’ to nonessential employees who may be furloughed.
- Formal notices of furlough will follow either Friday or over the weekend. Check with your agency to see if you must report for work Friday or for weekend shifts. Do not assume you are furloughed.
- Agencies determine who is essential and nonessential. Check with your supervisor.
- Back pay requires Congressional approval. Essential employees will receive pay for days worked during the furlough. Furloughed employees must wait for back pay funding approval.
What NFFE is doing:
- NFFE continues to fight for back pay in the event of a furlough. We are working with Democrats and Republicans as we always do under these circumstances to ensure back pay is funded.
- NFFE will keep its members posted on progress. Our message to Congress: Get Feds Back to Work!
What you can do:
- REPORT TO WORK on Friday unless your agency informed you in writing that you are officially furloughed. Otherwise, you risk an unexcused absence if you are not furloughed.
- Sign up for alerts using your personal email to jatkins@nffe.org
- Follow NFFE on Facebook @NFFEunion, and Twitter @NFFE_Union
- Gather personal phone numbers and non-gov emails to communicate with members.
- Post this memo at your workplace and help spread the word.
- Go over your personal finances and prepare for the possibility of delayed paychecks.
- Help NFFE members with access to emergency loans through the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), on which NFFE serves on the board of directors. For more information, visit the FEEA website at www.feea.org.
- Read the OPM Q&A attached regarding specific questions related to the shutdown.