Here’s What Really Happens During A Government Shutdown

It’s official. Senate Democrats refused to compromise and blocked the short-term spending bill last night, meaning we have a government shutdown on our hands.

Here’s the thing– government shutdowns suck, but they are NOT the end of the world as we know it. Some news outlets had a “countdown to shutdown” clock in the corner of the screen all day Friday, and as midnight inched closer, the reports grew in intensity. It’s like they built up all this anticipation, midnight struck and…nothing.

The truth? Most of aren’t affected by a government shutdown. I’m not saying that makes it OK. I’m simply trying to add some perspective. This truly only affects non-essential government employees. What organizations fall into the “non-essential” category? You know, national parks, monuments, museums and so on.

You get the idea. Yes. It sucks for those employees. No doubt. There’s a lot of furloughing jobs until Congress can reach an agreement, but again. Most federal employees will get paid. There will just be a delay.

“Everyone loses from the government shutdown. An employee loses their paycheck at the time he or she needs it,” Goldwein said. “Ultimately, we’re going to fund it anyway. It’s kind of silly.”

Federal employees typically receive back pay shortly upon their return, though, Goldwein says, nothing is certain. Every agency has their own contingency plan in the event of a shutdown.

In addition:

The president, presidential appointees and members of Congress are exempt. The Postal Service, the TSA and Air Traffic Control will also continue business as usual.

Americans will still be able to get their Social Security and Medicare benefits and food stamps. However, people expecting VA benefits, unemployment benefits, farm subsidies and tax refunds may experience delays.

Another thing– this isn’t the first government shutdown. We’ve had others (according to Fox News, we’ve had 18 shutdowns since 1976), and they all look different. Each department comes up with its own shutdown plan, so there’s no predicting exactly what it’ll look like for each agency.

They can also vary in length. The longer it lasts, the more likely you’ll feel some slight effects. Ultimately, you won’t feel the full effects immediately unless you’re a non-essential government employee or were planning on visiting a national park in the near future.

Here’s a really nice rundown.

In short, government shutdowns are a huge waste of money.

The 16-day government shutdown in 2013 cost the country $24 billion of lost economic activity, according to an analysis from ratings agency Standard & Poor’s.

“The payroll cost of furloughed employee salaries alone – that is, the lost productivity of furloughed workers – was $2.0 billion,” the Office of Management and Budget reported in 2013.

Goldwein says shutdowns “waste money” more than they “cost money.”

“We’re not going to spend more money. We’re just going to spend it on worse stuff,” he explained. “Instead of paying employees to work, we’re paying them not to work.”

“This is not a time to play politics,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. added Wednesday, suggesting that Democratic leaders are telling members not to support a GOP temporary spending plan that would fund the government through Feb. 16. “This is not a time to play politics,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. added Wednesday, suggesting that Democratic leaders are telling members not to support a GOP temporary spending plan that would fund the government through Feb. 16.

We’ll see how long this one lasts.

h/t Fox News