{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sherman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-sherman-expect-government-shutdown-1201-am-saturday", "Congressman Sherman: \"Expect Government Shutdown 12:01 AM Saturday\"", "2024-12-19", "2024", "2024-12", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Brad Sherman", "S000344", "sherman.house.gov", "sherman", "https://sherman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "Unless Congress passes a Continuing Resolution, all \u201cnon-essential\u201d federal action halts on Saturday at 12:01 AM.\n\nOn Tuesday, Democrats and Republicans had agreed to a Continuing Resolution and all the related details. We were ready to pass the bill with big bipartisan majorities. The bill would not solve all the nation\u2019s problems \u2013 but at least it would keep the government open through March 14, 2025.\n\nInstead, Elon Musk announced he hated the bipartisan compromise bill and would fund primary opponents to any Republican who voted for it. Then Donald Trump demanded that Republicans defeat the compromise bill. Since Republicans control the House of Representatives, they will not even allow a vote on the compromise bill. So, a Saturday morning shutdown is likely.\n\nThe Republicans would not even let us vote on the bipartisan deal. Instead, they brought up a 120-page bill that no Democratic Member had seen until one hour before the vote. While I\u2019ve only had minutes to review this hundred-billion-dollar bill, I can already see that compared to the bipartisan bill, the Republican bill is:\n\nWorse for children with cancer\n\nWorse for pregnant women\n\nBetter for drug companies\n\nBetter for Americans who invest American capital in Chinese companies\n\nI will be voting \u201cNO\u201d and the bill is certain to be defeated in the House \u2013 even some Republicans will vote no.\n\nMy staff will be working during the shutdown though they may not be paid on time, and I will not accept pay while my staff isn\u2019t being paid. They are essential and are available to you to help navigate any problem that arises.\n\n(818) 501-9200\n\n5000 Van Nuys BLVD #420\n\nSherman Oaks, CA 91403\n\nThe memo below outlines the effects, most of which won\u2019t be apparent until Monday.\n\nFederal Government Shutdown: Frequently Asked Questions\n\nWill I continue to receive my Social Security and SSI checks?\n\nRecipients will continue to receive their Social Security and SSI checks. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will provide limited services like issuing Social Security cards and holding appointments for benefit applications. However, SSA will stop services like benefit verifications and processing overpayments. Customer service wait times will dramatically increase.\n\nWill Medicare and Medicaid benefits be affected?\n\nCurrent Medicare, Medicaid, and disability insurance beneficiaries will continue to receive their benefits assuming a shutdown lasts less than three months.\n\nWhat happens to veterans' services?\n\nAll Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities and clinics will remain operational. The VA will continue to process veterans\u2019 benefits. However, veterans will be affected by the shutdown of other services that they count on, including education and job training, support for veteran-owned businesses, and even assistance for homeless veterans.\n\nWhich federal employees keep working during a government shutdown?\n\nWhen the government shuts down, federal agencies are required to classify their employees whose salaries have lapsed as either \"excepted\" or \"not excepted.\" The employees classified as \"excepted\" work without pay during the shutdown. The employees classified as \"not excepted\" are put on unpaid furlough.\n\nDo furloughed federal employees get backpay?\n\nThe Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, signed into law in 2019, guarantees that furloughed government employees receive backpay once a shutdown ends. However, federal contractors impacted are not guaranteed backpay.\n\nWhat is the impact on U.S. military personnel and federal law enforcement?\n\nAll active-duty and Guard and Reservists on active-duty orders are excepted and therefore are required to work without pay. On-base non-acute health care will cease, although off-base care provided through Tricare will not be affected. On-base child care will be open on a case-by-case basis. Federal law enforcement will also be required to work without pay for the duration of a shutdown.\n\nWill military and federal retiree benefits be suspended?\n\nMilitary and federal retirees will continue to receive their retirement benefits. Processing new applications or other requested changes will be delayed.\n\nWill air travel be affected?\n\nAir traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents will remain on the job without pay. If some do not report to work, as has happened in prior shutdowns, there will be significant delays and longer wait times across the country.\n\nWhat does this mean for disaster relief efforts?\n\nFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff will still respond to emergencies, but all long-term projects will be delayed due to a lack of funding in the Disaster Relief Fund.\n\nHow will this affect environmental protection and cleanup?\n\nThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will stop inspecting most hazardous waste sites, as well as drinking water and chemical facilities.\n\nEfforts to address dangerous contaminants like PFAS \u2014 which are linked to severe health effects, including cancer \u2014 will be delayed, and cleanup activities at Superfund sites will slow or cease.\n\nWhat is the impact on food assistance?\n\nThe Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will quickly run out of funding and be unable to provide food for children and parents in need. In the case of a prolonged shutdown, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may also be affected.\n\nWhat is the impact on food safety activities?\n\nFood and Drug Administration (FDA) food safety activities \u2014 such as routine inspections of facilities \u2014 will be delayed across the country.\n\nWhat is the impact on housing?\n\nThe Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will stop insuring some new mortgages and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will stop processing some new loans. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will stop new loan and loan guarantee activity.\n\nThe VA will continue to guarantee home loans. Funding for federal housing assistance programs, such as Housing Choice Vouchers, may be jeopardized in a prolonged shutdown.\n\nHow will this affect small businesses?\n\nThe Small Business Administration (SBA) will stop processing new business loans, such as through the 7(a) and 504 programs. However, SBA\u2019s Disaster Loan Program will continue regular operations.\n\nWill my mail still arrive?\n\nYes. The U.S. Postal Service is not affected by a shutdown.\n\nWhat does this mean for medical research?\n\nThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be forced to delay new clinical trials. New patients who are waiting for a chance at new treatment through a clinical trial will be turned away.\n\nWill I still be able to visit National Parks and monuments?\n\nAcross the country, services that require National Park Service staff \u2014 including trash removal and operating campgrounds and concessions \u2014 may be stopped. Closures will be determined on a location-by-location basis; open-air parks and monuments in Washington, D.C. will likely remain accessible. Smithsonian museums may also be impacted by a lengthy shutdown.\n\nHow does this affect passports and help for Americans overseas?\n\nConsular services, passport services, and visa services are expected to continue in the immediate aftermath of a government shutdown. In a prolonged shutdown, passport and visa issuance could be slowed. Access to passport agencies located in some government buildings may be limited.\n\nWhat is the impact on state and local services?\n\nThe federal government shutdown will not immediately affect any state or local services. However, with federal funding cut off, some state or local governments may have to change their operations. Check with state and local agencies for specific questions.\n\nWhat is the impact on the U.S. economy?\n\nShutdowns are detrimental to both the public, who face service and program disruptions, and federal employees, who are either furloughed or required to work without pay. Moreover, they pose a significant strain on government resources.\n\nThe Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and federal agencies need to develop and implement shutdown plans, a process that requires substantial staff time and resources, potentially detracting from public services. Shutdowns also cause revenue losses, such as those from visitor fees or gift store sales when national parks close. Additionally, shutdowns negatively impact the economy.\n\nThe Congressional Budget Office estimated that the 2018-2019 shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion, mainly due to federal workers reducing their spending in response to lost pay. Notably, this decrease in spending may not rebound even after workers receive their back pay.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:07:19Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sherman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-sherman-expect-government-shutdown-1201-am-saturday"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8883440643548965, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}