What happens now that the government has shut down. And, a pricing deal with Pfizer

"Much of the federal government is now shut down after the Senate was unable to reach an agreement on two competing funding bills. The last government shutdown, which lasted 35 days and was the longest in U.S. history, occurred from December 2018 to January 2019. The Trump administration has used government websites and agency-wide emails to accuse Democrats of causing the shutdown. Some ethics experts say that could violate the Hatch Act, which is intended to keep politics out of government work."

"In 2019, Congress passed a law requiring that federal employees receive back pay once a shutdown ends. However, the White House has threatened to fire many federal workers during this shutdown. Yesterday, two unions representing federal employees filed a lawsuit, arguing that the administration's threats of mass layoffs during a government shutdown are an unlawful abuse of power by the administration."

Much of the federal government is shut down after the Senate failed to reach agreement on two competing funding bills. The previous shutdown lasted 35 days from December 2018 to January 2019. The Trump administration used government websites and agency-wide emails to blame Democrats, an action ethics experts warn could violate the Hatch Act. Earlier Senate cooperation from Democrats helped temporarily keep funding, but Democrats’ influence has since waned as Republicans advanced a partisan spending and tax plan. Democrats seek an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Many federal workers will not receive paychecks during the shutdown; unions have filed suit over threatened mass layoffs.

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