Federal Agencies to Resume Operations Following Shutdown
According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, federal government employees are expected to return for work on their next regularly scheduled work day, which for most employees is Tuesday.
President Trump signed a short-term congressional spending bill Monday night, ending the U.S. government shutdown. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, federal government employees are expected to return for work on their next regularly scheduled work day, which for most employees is Tuesday.
[UPDATED Jan. 23 at 7:59 a.m.]
Original story below.
A U.S. federal government shutdown furlough began on Jan. 20. Due to the lapse in appropriations, operations at federal agencies may be affected, as activities funded by annual appropriations that are not excepted by law have to be shut down.
Agencies are posting information on continued operations, including these details:
CDC: According to FY 2018 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations in the Absence of Enacted Annual Appropriations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will work in a significantly reduced capacity to respond to outbreak investigations, process lab samples, and maintain its 24/7 emergency operations center. Ongoing work with public health needs in hurricane-affected areas will continue, as will activities supported with funding not affected by the lapse in appropriations. CDC's immediate response to urgent disease outbreaks will continue. For the current flu outbreak, CDC will collect data reported by states, hospitals, and others and report out critical information necessary for state and local authorities and providers to track, prevent, and treat the flu.
DOL: The U.S. Department of Labor's contingency plan indicates its agencies have 14,825 employees overall, of which 3,077 employees would be working full-time during a shutdown. About half of MSHA's 2,054 employees would be working during it, and 372 of OSHA's 1,934 employees would be working full-time during it.
DOT: According to the Department of Transporation's Operations During a Lapse in Annual Appropriations Plans by Operating Administration, the following excepted activities will continue: air traffic control, maintenance and operation of navigational aids and other facilities, limited Flight Standards field inspections, airmen medical certifications, limited aircraft certification services, hazardous materials safety inspections, security information communication services, Continuity of Operations Planning, Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) medical clearances, limited air traffic safety oversight, on-call accident investigations, commercial space launch oversight, command, control, and communications (i.e., Regions and HQ Operations Centers), and foreign relations on aviation safety-related matters.
NTSB: According to the NTSB, about 95 percent of the National Transportation Safety Board's staff will be furloughed during this time. NTSB will be able to launch investigations into major accidents causing significant casualties and other accidents in which failing to investigate would create a significant transportation safety risk. Other investigations by NTSB that are not considered absolutely necessary to prevent the imminent potential for loss of life and significant property damage may stop, including investigations into the Amtrak derailment in December.
HHS: The HHS memo says its contingency plans would lead to furloughing 40,959 staffers and retaining 40,956 staffers as of day two of the shutdown, which has already occurred. The percentages vary among HHS agencies and offices, with grant-making and employee-intensive agencies (e.g., the Administration for Children and Families, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Administration for Community Living, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality having the vast majority of their staff on furlough and agencies with a substantial direct service component (e.g., the Indian Health Service) having most of their staff retained.