Politicians Plunge Nation into Partial Shutdown
Tuesday, October 1st, 2013 -- 8:23 AM
-Our politicians managed to plunge the nation into a partial government shutdown Tuesday as a long-running dispute over President Barack Obama's health care law stalled a temporary funding bill, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending most non-essential federal programs and services.People classified as essential government employees, such as air traffic controllers, Border Patrol agents and most food inspectors, will continue to work. The health care law itself was unaffected as enrollment opened Tuesday for millions of people shopping for medical insurance.
The military will be paid under legislation freshly signed by Obama, but paychecks for other federal workers will be withheld until the impasse is broken. Federal workers were told to report to their jobs for a half-day but to perform only shutdown tasks like changing email greetings and closing down agencies' Internet sites.
It?s not clear how long the standoff will last, but it appears that Democrats have the upper hand.
"We can't win," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., adding that "sooner or later" the House would have to agree to Democrats' demands for a simple, straightforward funding bill reopening the government.
The order directing federal agencies to "execute plans for an orderly shutdown due to the absence of appropriations" was issued by White House Budget Director Sylvia Burwell shortly before midnight Monday.
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