NFFE Government Shutdown Center

Thursday, February 29, 2024 update:

House and Senate Reach Short-Term Deal to Prevent a Shutdown

On Thursday, 207 Democrats joined 113 Republicans to pass a short-term spending measure (continuing resolution) to keep part of the government operating until March 8, and other parts of the government open until March 22. Ninety-nine Republicans voted against the bill.

The measure is intended to buy time for appropriators to complete the 12 annual appropriations bills required to prevent automatic cuts to federal department budgets on May 1^st. If the bill is not passed by both chambers before midnight Friday, a partial government will begin covering agencies under the following appropriations bills: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, the Energy and Water Development, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

The Senate also passed House version of the continuing resolution Thursday night, working from a previous agreement struck between the two chambers Wednesday night. A shutdown has been avoided and the extended CRs will expire March 8 and March 22.

Monday, February 26, 2024 update:

Congress has not yet reached a deal to fund the government beyond the short term Continuing Resolutions (CRs) passed last month. Funding for Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Veterans Affairs, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development will lapse if Congress does not reach a deal by Friday, March 1. The remaining eight spending bills for the remaining agencies and other government operations expire Friday, March 8.

NFFE is following this situation closely and will release more information and guidance on this page over the course of this week. We hope that Representatives in the House put the country ahead of politics and pass a bill to keep the government fully open, but this is not always the case.

As of Monday, February 26, this is the status of the CRs:

There are two CRs currently operating. The government is roughly split in half under each CR, and they have different expiration dates. They are as follows:
- The CR expiring at midnight Friday (3/1) contains the following appropriations (i.e., related agencies would experience a shutdown if a law were not passed before the CR expires): Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, the Energy and Water Development, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
- The second CR expires on 3/8 and contains the following appropriations: Defense, Interior, Homeland Security, Labor HHS, Financial Services (and related independent agencies), Commerce-Justice-State, Legislative Branch.

The US Forest Service is appropriated under Interior appropriations (as are all land agencies) therefore USFS will NOT shutdown this weekend regardless of whether a new CR is passed. USFS is funded until 3/8. However, USDA HQ and agencies under it would experience a shutdown at midnight Friday.

As a reminder, NFFE fought hard to pass the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act which ensures that in the event of a funding lapse, all furloughed employees will receive their pay retroactively upon the government reopening. However, while passing this law was a great victory for federal employees, it does little to bring financial relief to workers for the duration of a shutdown.

In addition to preparing personal finances to cover bills and other expenses a shutdown, NFFE recommends the following steps to stay safe at work and stay in touch if forced to into a furlough:

Report to Work as usual unless your agency informs 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.
Write to Congress telling them NO to a government shutdown.
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.
Review 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 feea.org.