CA Prepares For Possible Federal Government Shutdown
CALIFORNIA – Filthy bathrooms. It’s among the things retired law enforcement park ranger John Lauretig remembers about the last government shutdown. National Parks staff were furloughed, but the parks remained open from December 2018 through January 2019, leading to a human waste problem: There was a half-ton of human waste alone at Death Valley outside the restrooms when parks staff returned.
That crummy situation may be a sign of what awaits many Californians soon if the government shutdown takes hold Wednesday, writes CalMatters’ reporters.
A shutdown occurs when Congress and the president fail to agree over how to keep funding the government’s discretionary spending, which includes bridge repairs, disease detection and more. The White House says to check an agency’s website to see how programs would be affected during a shutdown. Some workers are deemed “essential” and continue to work.
Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare are mandatory programs that are excluded from the annual discretionary budget process, and, for the most part, should be unaffected by a shutdown.
Congressional lawmakers must make a deal by today, Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. Democratic leaders want Republicans to undo the Medicaid cuts they implemented in President Donald Trump’s tax bill this summer and extend the federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act enrollees initially enacted under former President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, Trump is floating the prospect of firing federal workers en masse should the shutdown occur. California is home to roughly 150,000 federal employees.
The National Park Service has lost nearly a quarter of its permanent staff since Trump’s return to the White House, according to an estimate by the National Parks Conservation Association.
Read more about other government spending programs that could be affected in California during a shutdown, including air travel, disaster readiness and financial support for low-income families.
This story was provided by CalMatters.org. The full article can be read here.
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