Government Shutdown Avoided Again
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a stopgap bill to fund the federal government, avoiding a shutdown just before the weekend deadline. The measure will fund the government through early March.
The Senate passed the bill 77-18, while the House passed the measure 314-108, with 106 Republicans and two Democrats in opposition. Party leadership statements were varied. Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good told reporters: “It’s a loss for the American people…” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor: “We have good news for America. There will not be a shutdown on Friday.” The lack of consensus signals that there is much work to be done to avoid a shutdown in March.
While many employees in key agencies for international trade will be deemed “essential,” meaning they will continue working through a shutdown, agencies will still experience operational changes that will cause delays.
Below is a breakdown of how key agencies will be impacted by a future shutdown.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s contingency plan, cargo security and port of operations will remain active during a shutdown. However, certain activities such as training and auditing are not required to be carried out during this time. In addition, back-office support positions are not likely to be deemed essential and will be furloughed. Refunds, audits, ruling requests, etc. would be delayed until the shutdown ends.
There remains uncertainty around which specific offices will be deemed essential. For example, Forced Labor Communications may be furloughed, resulting in delays in […]
