President Trump announced today that he would sign a bill funding the government through February 15th and ending the 5-week long government shutdown. The President said he will continue to negotiate with Congress on border security issues over the next three weeks but held out the possibility that the government could shut down again if there is no agreement by February 15th.
The shutdown, which began December 22, 2018, meant that 800,000 government employees missed pay for two pay periods. A significant number of those furloughed employees were expected to report to work despite the suspension of their paychecks. The shutdown affected the FBI, Transportation Safety Administration, IRS, air traffic control, and other key functions of government. As the shutdown continued into 2019, news outlets reported impacts (actual or anticipated) on individuals who rely on: public housing programs, subsidies to purchase health insurance on the ACA exchanges, food stamps, and more – in addition to the unpaid federal employees and contract employees.
HFA will continue to monitor developments in this area and will update you if it appears that the government will shut down a second time.
