Federal Funding Bill Collapses, Shutdown Looms: Impact On MA

MASSACHUSETTS — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s last-ditch effort to keep the federal government temporarily open collapsed Friday, thrusting many Americans into uncertainty, with possible paycheck interruptions, food assistance shortfalls and airport delays.

Hard-right holdouts rejected a possible spending package, making a federal government shutdown a near certainty, The Associated Press reported Friday. The White House and Democrats rejected the GOP approach, with the package failing by a vote of 198-232. The Democrats voted against it, along with 21 hard-right Republicans.

"If the government shuts down, millions will struggle to make ends meet and our troops will serve without pay. Yet Kevin McCarthy can’t get the GOP to agree on how to keep us open," U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, said in a tweet Friday. "His incompetence is about to become America’s problem and that is absurd."

As Patch previously reported, some agencies would be exempt from a shut-down at the beginning of a new fiscal year Oct. 1. But at other agencies, non-essential action would cease and roughly 2 million military personnel and 2 million civilian workers wouldn’t get their paychecks on time. Some federal offices would have to close or operate on a part-time schedule.

Massachusetts has over 24,500 civilian employees and about 400 active duty military personnel.

Here are five things to know:

Food Insecurity Worsens

Nearly 7 million women and children, including 125,921 in Massachusetts, could see cuts in WIC, also called the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children. The program serves about half of babies born in the nation, according to the White House.

The White House also said about 10,000 children would lose childcare starting in October as a result of disruptions to programs like Head Start.

People who receive food stamps under the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, or SNAP, would continue to receive benefits through October, CNN reported, but what happens after that is less clear, according to the Agriculture Department, which administers the program.

That could limit the ability of food banks to place new orders and fulfill existing delivery orders. Federal reimbursements to Meals on Wheels programs could also be delayed, and some community-based services could have to suspend meal services, reduce the number of meals they deliver, limit hours or shut down altogether, program officials told CNN.

Meals on Wheels delivers meals to more than 2.8 million older Americans.

Some Services Would Continue Uninterrupted

Social Security checks will still go out, Medicare services will continue uninterrupted, and Postal Service employees will continue to deliver the mail because those services are paid for with permanent appropriations that don’t have to be renewed every year.

The 83,000 Internal Revenue Service employees would not be furloughed because funding was approved last year by Congress.

Pensions, disability checks and other Veterans Affairs benefits also would continue as normal.

Some Services Could Be Delayed

A shutdown could mean longer waits for people who are applying for passports, firearms permits and clinical trials. Businesses that are closely connected to the federal government, including federal contractors or tourist services around national parks, could see disruptions and downturns.

That could mean people won’t be able to visit Smithsonian museums or national parks during the shutdown. The U.S. Travel Industry Association said a shutdown could cost the travel sector $140 million daily.

Air travel could be delayed because Transportation Security Administration employees and air traffic controllers would work without pay, the White House said in a memo.

“These consequences are real and avoidable — but only if House Republicans stop playing political games with peoples’ lives and catering to the ideological demands of their most extreme, far-right members,” the White House memo says. “It’s time for House Republicans to abide by the bipartisan budget agreement that a majority of them voted for, keep the government open, and address other urgent needs for the American people.”

Would Congress Shut Down?

President Joe Biden and members of Congress would continue to work and get paid, but some members of their staff who aren’t deemed as essential workers would be furloughed.

The Judiciary would continue to operate using funds from court filings and other fees, as well as approved funding. Funding for the three special counsels appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland would not be affected because they’re paid through a permanent, indefinite appropriation that has been exempted from previous shutdowns.

How Long Would It Last?

It’s impossible to predict how long a government shutdown would last. With Congress divided between a Democratic-controlled Senate and Republican-led House, and Speaker Kevin McCarthy's hard-right conservatives looking to use the shutdown as leverage for spending cuts, many are bracing for a stoppage that could last weeks.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.