Mass federal furloughs possible in Bay Area if government shuts down

"If federal lawmakers can't reach an agreement to fund the government before Tuesday night's deadline, thousands of federal employees in the Bay Area could be furloughed or asked to work without a paycheck until the impasse is resolved. How that might affect public services was unclear on Monday. Many federal agencies could not say, and past government shutdowns have played out differently. Analysts and employees expect interruptions to some federal services, but not others."

"Republican President Donald Trump's White House in a statement Monday blamed Democrats, even though Republicans control Congress and the White House, and said they were jeopardizing critical funding for veterans, seniors, law enforcement and many others. Republicans' narrow majorities in Congress require dealmaking with Democrats, who countered that they are withholding votes in an effort to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and oppose the Republican administration's cuts to Medicaid."

"About 8,000 federal employees would go without pay in the East Bay U.S. House district of Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, the Democrat said. Plus, 10,000 low-income residents would temporarily lose their food assistance benefits, he said. In the Silicon Valley district of Rep. Ro Khanna, another Democrat, 5,300 federal workers would be furloughed. Statewide, Democrats estimate 190,000 federal workers would be furloughed or forced to work without pay, plus 213,000 military personnel in the state."

Failure to fund the government by Tuesday night could furlough thousands of Bay Area federal employees or require them to work without pay until resolution. Many federal agencies could not specify how public services would be affected, and past shutdowns have produced varied outcomes. Analysts and employees anticipate interruptions to some federal services while others continue. The White House blamed Democrats for jeopardizing funding for veterans, seniors, law enforcement and others, while Democrats countered that they withheld votes to preserve ACA subsidies and oppose proposed Medicaid cuts. Local estimates project tens to hundreds of thousands of federal and military personnel statewide affected.

Read at www.mercurynews.com