02 Oct U.S. Government Shuts Down in Budget Impasse
WASHINGTON — The vast machinery of the federal government began grinding to a halt Tuesday morning just hours after weary lawmakers gave up hope of passing a budget in the face of Republican attacks on President Obama’s health care law.
For the first time in 17 years, Congress failed Monday night to agree on a new budget and refused to extend the current one. Without the authority to spend money, the executive branch on Tuesday morning started the process of temporarily mothballing facilities and suspending the many services the government provides.
After a series of back-and-forth legislative maneuvers late Monday night and into Tuesday morning, the House and Senate did not reach a resolution, and the Senate halted business until later Tuesday while the House took steps to open talks. But Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, was dismissive of the House proposal to begin conference committee negotiations, and the next legislative steps remained uncertain.
More than 800,000 federal workers across the country are bracing for an uncertain financial future in the days ahead as many government agencies prepared to close their doors, set up barricades and turn out the lights.
Traveling in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called the shutdown “nonsensical” and said it would lead to the immediate furlough of about 400,000 civilian employees. (Mr. Obama signed legislation late Monday night ensuring that uniformed members of the military will get paid during the shutdown.)
“It does cast a very significant pall over America’s credibility with our allies when this kind of thing happens,” Mr. Hagel said. “It’s nonsensical. It’s needless. It didn’t have to happen.”
At the Justice Department, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. pledged to give back a portion of his salary in solidarity with his employees.
As I’ve made clear to the people in this department, we are all in this together, and whatever pain they suffer, I will share with them,” Mr. Holder said as the shutdown approached.
Even as they contemplated a short-term future without pay, many federal employees headed into work Tuesday morning anyway, the result of a directive at some agencies requiring workers to show up briefly so they can help wrap up their work and shut down their facilities.
At the Federal Communications Commission, officials instructed their 1,716 employees to arrive at work Tuesday for no more than four hours. After that, the agency said, it would send all but about 38 of those employees home for the duration of the shutdown. Those “essential” employees will keep working on programs that address radio interference detection, treaty negotiations and other critical information technology issues, officials said.
The crowds were lighter than normal early Tuesday at L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, where there are a number of federal agencies. Phillip Davenport, a management analyst at the Federal Aviation Administration, who was deemed an essential employee, said he was expecting a heavier workload.
During the last shutdown 17 years ago, Mr. Davenport was on active duty in the military, based in Alaska, he said. “Back then, I don’t remember for sure, but we came to work regardless of whether we were paid or not,” he said.
Mr. Davenport said he hoped everyone — including Tea Party members and the president — could come together to end the shutdown. “My hope is that it’s very short and they kind of come to some type of agreement today after they get some rest and kind of get all of the name-calling out,” he said.
Michael Farrier, who is technically a nonessential worker, was told his office in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration at the State Department would remain open for at least a few days while its dwindling funds lasted.But Mr. Farrier, 34, said his wife, another State Department employee doing long-term training, was told to stay home Tuesday.
“My hope is that there’s a fast resolution,” he said as he stood on a street corner near the National Mall.
On Monday afternoon, Mr. Obama described the potential closures in the case of a shutdown. He noted that “every one of the parks and monuments” would be immediately closed. That process began early Tuesday as park officials restricted access to some of the country’s most iconic locations and barricades went up to keep out tourists.
About 8 a.m., the steps of the Lincoln Memorial were being taped off by National Park police, metal barricades were erected and tourists were being turned away. Coincidentally, visitors to Google’s home page on Tuesday morning woke up to a doodle of park ranger patches honoring the 123rd anniversary of Yosemite National Park.
People who do not work for the federal government will also quickly begin feeling the effect of the government shutdown.
Already jittery financial markets prepared for a nerve-racking day, but global investors reacted calmly on Tuesday in the hours after Congressional negotiations collapsed. Wall Street was expected to start firmer as investors focused on the next deadline, for raising the debt ceiling by Oct. 17.
Markets in Asia mostly inched up on Tuesday, encouraged somewhat by news of a forthcoming sales tax increase in Japan. By the close, the Nikkei 225 index was up 0.2 percent. In midday European trading, the Euro Stoxx 50 index, a barometer of euro zone blue chips, was up 0.6 percent, while the FTSE 100 index in London was essentially unchanged. The bond and foreign exchange markets were quiet.
Those looking for financial data to assess the impact of a shutdown will have to do it without help from the Congressional Budget Office and the Census, both of which are closing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is scheduled to issue its monthly jobs report this Friday, is also closing.
The National Zoo in Washington closed its gates to tourists. Zoo officials said they planned to flip off the two cameras that feed images to the popular “Giant Panda Cam” Web site for fans wanting to watch the rare new panda cub that was born last month. As of 6 a.m. Tuesday, however, images of the pandas were still streaming.
A message on the zoo’s Web site said that “all vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle paths into the zoo will be closed. None of our live animal cams will broadcast.” The Web site added that “all the animals will continue to be fed and cared for. “
Newspaper headlines in cities across the country Tuesday morning offered a glimpse of the shutdown’s impact and of the nervousness about the future.
“SHUTDOWN,” The Montgomery Advertiser blared. The Anchorage Daily News told its readers that “Park buildings, Head Start centers could close in Alaska.” The Oakland Tribune in Northern California declared “Deadlock in Washington: NO COMPROMISE, NO GOVERNMENT.” The Idaho Statesman’s banner headline said: “This Is how Government Works Now.”
Across Washington — the site of the political paralysis — commercial establishments sought ways to try to minimize the impact of a shutdown that will hit harder here than anywhere else. Late Monday night, several bars and restaurants in the area started advertising “shutdown specials” for those who wandered in.
At Z-Burger, a popular hamburger restaurant in the Washington area, owners pledged to make good on their promise for a free burger for every furloughed federal worker. In a Twitter post, it said: “AlmostHere IF #GovernmentShutdown #FREE #Burgers.”
One group of employees who appeared unaffected by the shutdown was those who write news releases on Capitol Hill. In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, statements began arriving from lawmakers’ offices.
“Closing down the government strikes at the heart of New Mexico’s economy and our middle-class families,” said Senator Martin Heinrich, Democrat of New Mexico. “And that was the decision Republicans made tonight.”
Senator Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas, blamed the Democrats: “If we had a functioning Senate we would not be in this position,” he said, adding: “They would rather shut down the government than negotiate.”
Outside of government, the reaction was swift as well. Jenny Beth Martin, the co-founder of the Tea Party Patriots, a national conservative group, accused Democrats of burdening American families with Obamacare.
“Now the government has done even worse,” she said in a statement, adding: “The Senate Democrats delivered a triple whammy: shutting down government, bringing chaos and uncertainty to health care which affects American lives, and sticking American families with massive cost increases due to Obamacare — which most Americans don’t want.”
The daily schedule of the House, sent out by e-mail from the office of the majority leader, Eric Cantor, Republican of Virginia, took a hopeful tone: “Possible further consideration of H.J.Res. 59 — Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014,” it said, using the formal name of a bill that could be used to reopen the government. “Conference Reports may be brought up at any time.”
But those Twitter users who actively follow the United States Geological Service are going to be disappointed. The agency’s Twitter account sent the following message out just before 7 a.m.: “As a result of the lapse in appropriation, we will not be actively using this account until further notice.”
Emmarie Huetteman contributed reporting from Washington.
<nyt_author_id>
Jennifer Steinhauer contributed from Seoul; Charlie Savage contributed from Washington and Victoria Shannon contributed from New York.