Thursday, October 03, 2013

What Government Shutdown? 85% of the Federal Government Is Being Funded and Is Operating

The reason most people aren't feeling any impact by the government "shutdown" is that 85% of government programs are being funded and running. Senator Rand Paul:
"But one of the under-reported stories here is 85 percent of government is being funded," Paul told Fox News's Sean Hannity on Tuesday. "Two thirds of the government is Social Security, Medicare -- all of that is going on. And then we agreed yesterday, Harry Reid did come forward when we asked him to, and he finally agreed to pay the soldiers. So now we're up to that, 85 percent of the government."
Social security and medicare are being funded. I haven't heard of anyone not receiving food stamps. I haven't heard of IRS shut downs. (Well, Max, tells about the help lines.) Congress and the Obama administration are still being funded.

Apparently even PBS is getting funded.

Now all they have to do is compromise on the 15% left. It looks like the city of Washington, D. C. might be the only big loser.
On Tuesday, House Republicans tried unsuccessfully to pass three additional funding bills for veterans programs, national parks, monuments and museums, and the city of Washington, D.C. House Democrats refused to go along, and neither will the Democrat-led Senate.
The government shutdown is turning out to be like the wailing over the coming horrors of sequestration--a lot of public political smoke and no fire.

4 comments:

MAX Redline said...

But they're shutting down the important stuff, like Crater Lake and Oregon Dunes, and they found enough money to rent Barrycades over there on the National Mall. And didn't Barky make it suddenly snow on the Pacific Crest Trail? At least his pastry chef qualifies as an "essential staff" member.

T. D. said...

Max, guess what? Our extended family has felt no (zero, nada) bad consequences from the government shutdown. And, one great consequence. My brother, who is a federal worker is going to get free vacation time since the Senate and the President agreed with the piecemeal budget item of giving them back pay for "furloughed" days. Heh.

MAX Redline said...

That's good news, TD. Frankly, I've not heard from anybody having suffered under the slimdown. And I rather guessed that the feds might just go ahead and pay the furloughed staff - though I imagine that payday will be delayed a bit.

T. D. said...

Slimdown. Absolutely right, Max. "Shutdown" is part of the political and media misrepresentation.