Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

End to federal shutdown elusive, impact will grow in CT

  • Money
  • by Ana Radelat
  • January 2, 2019
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Washington — Terence Ward has worked for the U.S. Justice Department for 28 years and plans to continue to do so, but after next Friday, he and all 22 employees of the federal public defender’s office in Connecticut will work without pay if the government shutdown continues.

As the lead attorney for the Office of Federal Public Defender in Hartford, Ward is considered an ”essential employee” of the justice department, one of the federal agencies affected by the partial shutdown. The other attorneys and staff of the federal public defender’s office are considered essential too, and they must also work without pay. That upsets Ward.

“People have student loans, they have mortgages. People should not have to worry about meeting their day-to-day expenses,” he said.

Employees of the federal public defender’s office are among about 1,500 federal workers in Connecticut affected by the shutdown. Some, like Ward and his staffers, will continue to work without pay. Others, deemed “non-essential,” will continue to stay home as the shutdown drags into a second week, the services they provide unavailable until it ends.

On Wednesday, there was no indication the partial shutdown – the result of a bitter standoff between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats — would end anytime soon. The longer it lasts, the more its effects will be felt — not only in the Washington D.C. area, home to hundreds of thousands of federal employees, but in every state, including Connecticut.

That’s because the Antideficiency Act prohibits the federal government from spending money if it is not appropriated by Congress. However, many federal agencies affected by the partial shutdown, including the Coast Guard, were able to meet one last payroll using money appropriated by Congress, but unspent, in previous years, or that came from other sources. That extra money will not cover the next paycheck, scheduled for Jan. 11, for most of the affected agencies.

While the largest federal programs, including Social Security and Medicare, will continue undisturbed by the shutdown, those applying for or renewing a passport, seeking a Small Business Administration loan, or needing advice from the Internal Revenue Service will be out of luck. Some of those services have already been suspended and others will soon be.

Those trying to purchase a new home may also have to wait until the partial shutdown ends.

Loans made through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA,) VA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can move forward despite the shutdown.

However, the loans may not be completed because the IRS, part of another unfunded agency — the U.S. Treasury Department — cannot provide key tax return transcripts and income verification information.

Also, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, part of the now-shuttered Department of Homeland Security, has stopped writing the flood insurance policies that mortgage companies require of those who want to buy a coastal home or a house near other bodies of water.

Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture is one of the federal agencies affected by the shutdown, Bryan Hurlburt, executive director of the Connecticut Farm Bureau, said the shutdown hasn’t yet been felt by the state’s agriculture community – but soon will be.

That’s because the many state farmers are dependent on the USDA for financial help to buy seed and equipment for the upcoming planting season.

“As farmers are planning their year, access to USDA loans or loan guarantees are very vital to their 2019 crops,” Hurlburt said. “Apples, dairy, corn, tobacco, fruit…all these require start-up capital at the beginning of the season.”

He said farmers will need to have those loans in hand by the end of January or early February to successfully plan for the 2019 growing season.

Shutdown for ‘as long as it takes’

Part of the federal government shut down at midnight on Dec. 22 because there was no agreement on a budget for a number of agencies that had not yet been funded by Congress for fiscal year 2019.

A major sticking point in that budget battle was, and still is, Trump’s demand for $5 billion to pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Besides the Justice Department, the USDA, and the Department of Homeland Security, affected agencies include State, Transportation, Commerce, Interior and Housing and Urban Development.

Some independent agencies, including NASA, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, are also closed. The shutdown of the EPA means some of the federal grants the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection depends on are also threatened.

With no new funding from the Justice Department, Connecticut’s federal court could curtail or postpone civil cases, but criminal cases would move forward unless the shutdown drags on for weeks.

Like federal court employees, FBI employees in the state remain at work with no pay, although a call Wednesday to the FBI’s office in New Haven was answered by a man who said “we’re closed.”

On Wednesday, Trump shrugged off any urgency to bring a close to the shutdown, saying the budget lapse would continue “as long as it takes.”

The new Congress, with a Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, will be gaveled in on Thursday. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who hopes to be elected House Speaker on the first day of Congress, said she will hold a vote on legislation that would immediately reopen the government.

It would fund all agencies, except the Department of Homeland Security, until the end of the federal fiscal year, Sept. 30.

But the legislation would only fund the Department of Homeland Security until Feb. 8, so discussions with the White House over funding for the border wall could continue. Trump has rejected the plan, which would separate the conflict over the border wall from the other outstanding government funding bills.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday the Senate will not take up the House Democrats’ bill.

Meanwhile, the American Federation of Government Employees, the nation’s largest union representing federal employees, filed a lawsuit this week against the government seeking damages for the roughly 400,000 federal employees forced to work without pay during the partial shutdown.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Radelat Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Pandemic relief promises CT temporary aid and hope of permanent change
by Mark Pazniokas

A temporary child tax credit is expected to shrink child poverty and fuel demands for permanent solutions to economic inequality.

Patricia Billie Miller breaks ground taking Senate seat
by Mark Pazniokas

Patricia Billie Miller is the first woman and first person of color elected to the Connecticut Senate from Stamford.

What we’ve lost, what we’ve learned during our year of COVID
by CT Mirror Staff

On March 6, 2020, Gov. Ned Lamont announced that the first case of COVID-19 had been detected in Connecticut, and within weeks, life as we knew it was a memory. Schools were shut down, universities emptied, businesses shuttered. Those of us who were fortunate enough to be able to work from home set up shop at our […]

Plan to expand child tax credit offers hope along with direct payments
by Lisa Backus | C-HIT.ORG

When her car started making a noise more than a year ago, Chinara Johnson parked the vehicle and hasn’t used it since. As a New Haven mother of 5-year-old twin boys, one of whom is on the autism spectrum, and an 8-year-old daughter, Johnson doesn’t have the money to get the car running properly again. […]

Republicans on key committee oppose no-excuse absentee ballot voting
by Mark Pazniokas

Republicans signaled Friday they will try to block fast-track action on a constitutional amendment allowing no-excuse voting by absentee ballot.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Right to counsel is just as much a racial justice issue as a housing policy issue
by Pearson Caldwell

Despite the state and federal moratoriums on eviction, nearly 3,000 Connecticut families have faced eviction in the past 10 months. Over half of these families were Black or Latinx, even though these groups combined comprise less than a quarter of the overall population. The stop-gap measures pursued by the state are not enough. Connecticut needs a statewide right to counsel for tenants facing eviction to address the burning housing and racial justice crisis across the state.

Opinion We need justice, not politics
by Richard J. Colangelo Jr. and 13 State's Attorneys

The administration of justice should not be political. Prosecutors must be guided by the evidence in a case and the applicable law, not by partisan, political considerations. Political pressure should never sway a prosecutor’s decision-making.

Opinion Assisted suicide lobby spreads falsehoods to promote systemic ableism
by Stephen Mendelsohn

Proponents of assisted suicide repeatedly spread falsehoods to promote their lethal and ableist agenda.  The February 8 op-ed, “Aid in dying is not assisted suicide” is no exception. Suicide is defined as the act of taking one’s life intentionally.  The person who intentionally ingests a prescribed lethal overdose more closely fits the dictionary definition of suicide than the despondent person who jumps off a bridge.  The desire for suicide is a cry for help, even when redefined as a “medical treatment option.”

Opinion TCI will create a fourth gasoline tax
by Christian A. Herb

The Transportation Climate Initiative, or TCI, calls for a proposed emissions fee on gasoline to help battle climate change. On the surface, supporters say it is a small price to pay to help save the planet; and if you truly believe that this is the case, then you should consider voting for it. Despite the administration’s efforts to go out of their way to not call TCI a tax, the simple truth is that it will only create additional financial hardships on lower- and middle-income families struggling to make ends meet during the pandemic.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO