Parts of Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Shutdown!

[Procrustes Stretched]

Seriously, non essential big government library

 

[waltky]

Granny says fire the politicians - it's all dey's fault...

Shutdown could last weeks; Dems and GOP trade blame
October 1, 2013 ~ Ominously, there were suggestions from leaders in both parties that the shutdown, heading for its second day, could last for weeks and grow to encompass a possible default by the Treasury if Congress fails to raise the nation's debt ceiling.

WASHINGTON -- First slowed, then stalled by political gridlock, the vast machinery of government clanged into partial shutdown mode on Tuesday and President Barack Obama warned the longer it goes "the more families will be hurt." Republicans said it was his fault, not theirs, and embarked on a strategy - opposed by Democrats - of voting on bills to reopen individual agencies or programs. Ominously, there were suggestions from leaders in both parties that the shutdown, heading for its second day, could last for weeks and grow to encompass a possible default by the Treasury if Congress fails to raise the nation's debt ceiling. The two issues are "now all together," said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.

Speaking at the White House, the president accused Republicans of causing the first partial closure in 17 years as part of a non-stop "ideological crusade" to wipe out his signature health care law. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, gave as good as he got. "The president isn't telling the whole story,' he said in an opinion article posted on the USA Today website. "The fact is that Washington Democrats have slammed the door on reopening the government by refusing to engage in bipartisan talks." Both houses of Congress met in a Capitol closed to regular public tours, part of the impact of a partial shutdown that sent ripples of disruption outward - from museums and memorials in Washington to Yellowstone and other national parks and to tax auditors and federal offices serving Americans coast to coast.

Officials said roughly 800,000 federal employees would be affected by the shutdown after a half-day on the job Tuesday to fill out time cards, put new messages on their voice mail and similar chores. Among those workers were some at the National Institute of Health's famed hospital of last resort, where officials said no new patients would be admitted for the duration of the shutdown. Dr. Francis Collins, agency director, estimated that each week the shutdown lasts will force the facility to turn away about 200 patients, 30 of them children, who want to enroll in studies of experimental treatments. Patients already at the hospital are permitted to stay.

Late Tuesday, House Republicans sought swift passage of legislation aimed at reopening small slices of the federal establishment. The bills covered the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Park Service and a portion of the Washington, D.C., government funded with local tax revenue. Democrats generally opposed all three, saying Republicans shouldn't be permitted to choose which agencies remain open and which stay shut. As a result, all fell well short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage. The White House also issued veto threats against the bills, drawing a jab from Michael Steel, a spokesman for Boehner. Obama "can't continue to complain about the impact of the government shutdown on veterans, visitors at National Parks, and D.C. while vetoing bills to help them," he said.

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Government shutdown talks shift from ‘if’ to ‘how long?’
September 30, 2013 WASHINGTON — As a government shutdown looms, some discussions in the nation’s capital shifted Monday from whether a last-minute deal can be reached to exactly how long and painful a partial shutdown would be for the country.

Over the weekend, House members approved a new budget plan that still includes a delay in implementation of the Affordable Care Act, a move that Senate leaders immediately labeled a step towards a shutdown crisis. The two chambers will likely trade barbs and legislation throughout the day Monday, with the federal budget set to run out at midnight. The House also unanimously passed legislation which could keep paychecks flowing to troops and some Defense Department civilians even if a shutdown occurs. The move would blunt one of the most politically unpalatable parts of an interruption in federal operations: the possibility that combat troops could be working without pay if the shutdown lasts more than a few days. Pentagon officials have said that if a shutdown stretches beyond Oct. 7, it could affect processing for troops’ mid-month payroll.

The Senate will consider that measure late Monday. No such safety net legislation exists for veterans benefits, or for many of the other 800,000 federal workers expected to be furloughed as a result of the budget impasse. Department of Veterans Affairs announced this weekend that disability benefits and GI Bill payouts could be stopped if a government shutdown stretches into late October. On Friday, VA officials worked to assure veterans that all but a few minor programs would not be disrupted. But in briefings to Congress the same day, planners said that appropriations for those checks is expected to run out by late October, creating financial distress for the hundreds of thousands of veterans depending on those funds. “Under a prolonged shutdown, VA will be unable to make any payments,” the department said in a statement.

The last major government shutdown occurred in December 1995, and lasted 21 days. Congress has stared down potential shutdown threats numerous times in the last three years, but managed to find compromise before budgetary disaster occurs. But it hasn’t been without consequence. One of those compromises was the August 2011 sequestration plan, which trimmed federal spending by more than $1 trillion over 10 years. Lawmakers have railed against that since its passage, but failed to find a workable solution around the unpalatable cuts.

Credit agency Standard & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. government’s rating as a result of the budget squabbles. In addition to the current budget fight, Congress also faces a vote on increasing the nation’s debt ceiling later this month, a move that once again could jeopardize troops’ pay, veterans benefits and federal jobs. Discussions on that issue so far haven’t progressed, since the deadline for that problem is still weeks -- and not hours -- away.

Government shutdown talks shift from ?if? to ?how long?? - U.S. - Stripes

 

[Politico]

We shouldn't be paying for that shit anyway.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

US Military cemeteries honoring D-Day heroic dead - closed!

Thank you Tea Party America.

 

[Moonglow]

Bushes library has one book, My Pet Goat.

 

[Procrustes Stretched]

If Romney had been elected President I wonder if the magical undergarments worn by devout Mormons...