Countdown to chaos: The new date to know after Congress narrowly avoided disaster

Congress just narrowly avoided a government shutdown on Saturday night, mere hours before a midnight deadline, which only delayed the possibility of a shutdown by 45 days.

Congress must now reach a funding agreement by Nov. 16, which gives the legislative branch approximately six weeks to pass its annual appropriations bill to renew funding for the next fiscal year.

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The continuing resolution includes a $16 billion supplemental request for disaster relief and funds the government at fiscal 2023 levels but excludes aid for Ukraine.

The new agreement is expected to expire just before many federal workers prepare for the holidays. The date comes just eight days before Thanksgiving, and a little more than a month before Christmas.

What is affected by government shutdowns:

Government shutdowns can have unexpected effects on the country, including closing down National Parks, or the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The Smithsonian museums would also be affected but would remain open as long as possible through alternative funds. It also affects those who work for government offices, such as the State, Justice, Agriculture, and Labor departments.

People serving in the military are also affected by the shutdown, including by working without pay.

Airports would not be affected themselves, but wait times could be longer due to less staffing at security checkpoints. If a shutdown does occur in November, this could drastically affect holiday travel and create longer waits.

Social Security payments would continue because it uses funds out of a different trust, rather than only through the government. Several welfare programs, including the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, which provides food subsidies for pregnant women and children, would be affected.

But the SNAP program would not run out of funding right away and has enough funding for at least a month.

Who gets paid and who does not during the shutdown:

Federal employees are divided into two categories, excepted vs. furloughed employees. Furloughed employees are not paid and not allowed to work during the shutdown. They cannot even volunteer to work during the shutdown. Excepted employees are people who are still required to work because their duties are considered essential, and they are usually paid, but the pay must be approved by Congress.

Some people, including members of the military, could still be required to work without receiving pay. Benefits are usually still covered during a furlough.

Can employees take vacations during government shutdowns:

Excepted employees, who continue to work during a shutdown, can request paid time off and take their vacation if approved, or could ask to be placed in a temporary furlough for the length of their absence. Furloughed employees can travel during furlough, and the travel or vacation time will not be marked against them when they return. Any approved paid time off would be canceled, according to the Office of Personnel Management.

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Although a shutdown is still possible next month, on Saturday, the House passed a resolution to avoid the shutdown. The Senate passed the resolution later, with three hours to spare, and President Joe Biden signed the resolution just one hour before midnight.

“I strongly urge my Republican friends in Congress not to wait [on a new agreement],” Biden said in an address Sunday. “Don’t waste time as you did all summer. Pass a yearlong budget agreement.”