It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like A Federal Government Shutdown
Hawaii braces for a partial shutdown as Sen. Brian Schatz does an about-face and heads back to D.C. just after flying home.
WASHINGTON — Talk about a long day.
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz boarded a plane in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to head back to Honolulu for the holiday season, only to turn around and catch a flight back once he landed to deal with a pending government shutdown.
The cross-country switcheroo came courtesy of President Donald Trump’s $5 billion demand for a border wall and to oblige him.
That means Schatz — who voted Wednesday with a majority of senators to fund the government until Feb. 8 — must now return to Washington to consider the Republican plan. He’ll likely oppose it.
Still, the senator took a few moments to have some social media fun with the absurdity of his travels, first posting a picture of a palm tree at the Honolulu airport and then a selfie with his family.
17 minute visit w the fam
— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz)
Here’s some of what would be affected — and what wouldn’t — if a partial shutdown of the federal government begins at midnight Friday.
Congress has already approved the budgets of several departments, including the Department of Defense, which means military personnel should not be affected.
The shutdown will not affect Social Security payments or Medicare. The nation’s airports will be open, mail will still get delivered and the criminal justice system will grind on.
But nearly 800,000 federal employees will either be furloughed or have to work without pay during the shutdown.
Among those who will still be on the job — albeit without immediate pay — are the U.S. Coast Guard, the FBI, the Transportation Security Administration, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Bureau of Prisons.
Large numbers of employees will be furloughed at other agencies, including the National Park Service, NASA and the IRS.
Other agencies that will be affected include the State Department and the Interior and Transportation departments.
National parks and other federal lands could remain open during the partial shutdown, although at this point it’s unclear in what capacity.
During last January’s shutdown, national parks stayed open but with limited staffing. Hawaii’s wildlife refuges and wetland management districts were closed.
