The government will shut down on Oct. 1 if Congress doesn't pass a spending bill.
That could mean disruptions in Connecticut and on Long Island when dealing with federal agencies.
During a government shutdown, all non-essential government employees are furloughed.
“Social Security checks should go out, but if they, or VA benefits, are not forthcoming,” U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said. “There will be fewer means of accessing remedies.”
Essential employees, like the military, TSA, and air traffic control, still go to work but won’t be paid until after the shutdown ends. In the past, that’s led to staff shortages and longer wait times.
If the shutdown were to last long enough, assistance programs for things like food and housing could run out of money.
“It is up to the president as to which of those functions are essential,” U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said. “So there's certainly a risk that our VA facilities could close. There is a risk that Social Security offices would stop fielding phone calls. In the past, our Head Start centers have not been deemed essential, and there have been thousands of children who no longer have a place to go for school in the morning.”
Senate Democrats have said they would not vote for a budget that doesn't include input from their party. They want to reverse Medicaid cuts made by H.B. 1 in July, make permanent the subsidies from the Affordable Care Act, and have the bill include a clause that forces the President to spend the money allocated by Congress.
Their bill also includes restored funding for public media and additional cash for lawmaker security.
So far, they said, Republicans have been unwilling to meet their demands. President Trump was expected to meet with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Thursday, but canceled the meeting.
He posted a long message on TruthSocial explaining why.
“They are threatening to shut down the Government of the United States unless they can have over $1 Trillion Dollars in new spending to continue free healthcare for Illegal Aliens (A monumental cost!), force Taxpayers to fund Transgender surgery for minors, have dead people on the Medicaid roles, allow Illegal Alien Criminals to steal Billions of Dollars in American Taxpayer Benefits, try to force our Country to again open our Borders to Criminals and to the World, allow men to play in women’s sports, and essentially create Transgender operations for everybody,” Trump said.
Blumenthal said the shutdown, and how long it lasts, is ultimately up to Trump. He blamed Trump for keeping Republican leadership from meeting with Democrats.
“He could decide the day after the shutdown that he wants to negotiate and do what's right for the country, not just for blue states, but red states,” Blumenthal said. “He could also decide that he wants to punish Democrats, exact vengeance, and show his personal vanity because he feels insulted by the shutdown. I hope none of these eventualities will happen, but so much of it does depend on the President's state of mind.”
The Senate is out this week. When it returns to D.C. on Monday, it will have two days to pass a bill to avoid a shutdown.
