# Government shutdown watch fall 2023 edition **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [September 5, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657 "2023-09-05T18:05:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/81 "2023-09-28T17:06:13Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > As a federal employee, these repeated things have the tiny and cumulating effect of lessening my dedication to excelling at my job. If the knuckleheads in Congress can’t even timely ensure funding - and incur considerable costs through their dithering - it is easy to just say, _“‘Good enough’ is good enough.”_ Good enough for government work. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/82 "2023-09-28T18:11:30Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Just got a very uninformative email. Curiously, it states in unqualified terms that “_After the lapse ends, furloughed and excepted employees will receive retroactive pay for the furlough period as soon as possible_.” I got a note with the same language (do you work for DHHS?). After the last government shutdown Congress passed a law ensuring retroactive pay on any future shut downs, so that is the reason they can state it without any of the caveats they used to have. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/83 "2023-09-28T18:18:46Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > (do you work for DHHS?). After the last government shutdown Congress passed a law ensuring retroactive pay on any future shut downs, so that is the reason they can state it without any of the caveats they used to have. Used to (some 25 yrs ago before the spin-off!) I had forgotten about that legislation. IMO, while I selfishly enjoy the lack of skin I have in the game, I really wish more people were directly hurt by these shenanigans, such that they might put more pressure on their reps to cut it out. (I’ve long since ceased to be surprised by self described fiscal conservatives who gleefully urge cuts in all government programs - EXCEPT for the ones THEY THEMSELVES benefit from! :D) ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/84 "2023-09-28T19:00:40Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Used to (some 25 yrs ago before the spin-off!) I was just curious as to whether you were reading the exact same notice that I was or if it was a different memo with the same language (presumably authorized higher up.) ---
**Author:** ![squidfood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@squidfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squidfood)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/85 "2023-09-28T19:31:28Z")
Our agency linked to an OPM memo (so “from the top”) with nearly identical language: > After the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were required to > perform excepted work during the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those work periods. and > After the lapse in appropriations has ended, employees who were furloughed as the > result of the lapse will receive retroactive pay for those furlough periods. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/86 "2023-09-28T19:34:27Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > IMO, while I selfishly enjoy the lack of skin I have in the game, I really wish more people were directly hurt by these shenanigans, such that they might put more pressure on their reps to cut it out. (I’ve long since ceased to be surprised by self described fiscal conservatives who gleefully urge cuts in all government programs - EXCEPT for the ones THEY THEMSELVES benefit from! :D) In other words you’re doing exactly the same thing they are. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/87 "2023-09-28T20:02:52Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > In other words you’re doing exactly the same thing they are. Not at all. If I had my way, my pay would end, the Congresscritters’ pay would end, federal benefits would end, the military would be working for free, all but the absolute minimal absolutely necessary services would be ended… Fuck it - shut down air travel. But I don’t have my way. ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/88 "2023-09-28T20:44:48Z")
Yep, if it was more painful to more people there would be more of an outcry and therfore they wouldn’t consider a shutdown as just another political maneuver. It would be political suicide. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/89 "2023-09-28T21:35:17Z")
Those who work to shut down the system should be the _first_ ones to stop getting paid. Our founding fathers did get some of this wrong. ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/90 "2023-09-29T20:10:44Z")
Okay, so the last ditch hail Mary effort Kevin tried to pass failed even more miserably than his previous efforts. Will he accept _now_ that he is never, ever, ever getting back together with Gaetz and his band of misfit toys? That the only thing he can do other than go down in flames is to maybe take up the bipartisan Senate CR that will most likely pass the House? Probably not. That would take someone with an iota of self-awareness and the ability to take responsibility for his actions instead of a toadying sycophant afraid that the mean kids will take away his shiny gavel. And millions of people will begin the weekend wondering how they will pay their bills next month… > **[McCarthy's last-ditch plan to keep the government open collapses, making a...](https://news.yahoo.com/mccarthy-launches-last-ditch-plan-151436079.html)** > > House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open collapsed in dramatic fashion Friday as a robust faction of hard-right holdouts rejected the package, making a shutdown almost certain. McCarthy’s... House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s last-ditch plan to keep the federal government temporarily open collapsed in dramatic fashion Friday as a robust faction of hard… ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/91 "2023-09-29T20:52:56Z")
We just had a meeting and all I can say is that I’m glad I’m not a federal timekeeper. What a colossal pain in the ass. Bottomline is my whole office is getting paid, whether we take leave or not. In fact, we are prohibited from taking leave while furloughed, so we can take off, but not get charged leave. We are in the middle of a pay period, but Monday we have to submit timesheets for the whole pay period through next Sat. We might only get 1/2 of a pay check for this week, with a subsequent check to make up next week. And, of course, all of this could change day-to-day. What an unnecessary pain. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/92 "2023-09-29T21:24:02Z")
I will be furloughed with no paychecks until it’s over (though I should get backpay when it’s over). We’ll be fine as long as it’s under 30 days long. If it lasts longer than that we’ll have to do some weird things to pay the mortgage and other expenses. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/93 "2023-09-29T21:29:07Z")
I’ll be furloughed and I can use my leave or go unpaid (I’m a contractor, so no back pay for me). Fortunately I have a solid 2 months of annual leave and I had no plans to use any of it for a while, but most people aren’t like me. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2023, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/94 "2023-09-29T22:37:37Z")
TL/DR, it’s probably already been mentioned - I hope this shutdown is forever branded “The Republican Government Shutdown”, and is referred to as such over the next few days, and afterward. All their mewling about shrinking government - okay, here you are about to chop at it! They want this shit, then rub their effing faces in it at every chance, and remind people about it all the way to and thru election day. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/95 "2023-09-30T00:43:21Z")
What Republicans have learned from every previous government shutdown they’ve forced is that the public overwhelmingly blames them in the moment, and completely forgets about it by election day. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/96 "2023-09-30T04:51:26Z")
Kevin flailing continues. > **[In a shift, McCarthy floats a clean stopgap without Ukraine aid](https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4231342-in-a-shift-mccarthy-floats-a-clean-stopgap-without-ukraine-aid/)** > > Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Friday evening floated passing a “clean” continuing resolution without Ukraine aid, marking a clear shift in the possibilities he is willing to consider to aver… ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/97 "2023-09-30T08:12:10Z")
So the main priority for Republicans now is to be pro-Russia? That’s what they’ve come down to? Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/98 "2023-09-30T12:12:37Z")
It’s just not a side gig anymore. Trump made the map and paved the road (with borrowed money of course) ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/99 "2023-09-30T12:38:52Z")
> And in the House, more than two-thirds of the chamber — all Democrats and a little less than half of Republicans — voted in favor of a separate $300 million Ukraine funding measure. With that level of bi-partisan support, even in the dysfunctional House, how is “support Ukraine” the apparent sticking point? How can this idiot not pass a bill that already has the support of two thirds of the House? ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2023, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657/100 "2023-09-30T13:58:45Z")
If the House already passed Ukraine support, why can’t the Senate just say “fine” and strip Ukraine support from the continuing resolution while separately passing the House bill? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/government-shutdown-watch-fall-2023-edition/989657.md?page=6)