A few days ago it sure looked like Congress would keep the government operating after the Senate passed another short-term spending bill unanimously. Then President Donald J. Trump took to Twitter, saying that Congress must spend billions on a border wall or else. That has led to a Christmas holiday shutdown.
This is Trahant Reports.
This is a “limited” shutdown, involving only about a quarter of all federal agencies. Yet some 380,000 employees, many who work at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will be furloughed. And tribes and other contractors that work with the federal government will not get paid until later.
All told another 420,000 federal workers will be required to report to their jobs.
The Interior Department reports 2,455 BIA employees will be furloughed. The remaining 4,057 working for the BIA will be considered “excepted.” And all but 40 of the Bureau of Indian Education staff will continue working, 3,344 employees. But employees, furloughed or not, will not receive a paycheck until a new spending bill is signed into law.
The Indian Health Service reports it will “continue to provide direct clinical health care services as well as referrals for contracted services that cannot be provided through IHS clinics.” However, IHS will be unable to provide the majority of funds to rribes an durban Indian Health programs.
But the largest share of the Indian Health Service budget, 54 percent, is money that is transferred to tribes, urban programs, and nonprofits for clinics, hospitals and medical services. That funding stream will come to a halt unless the shutdown is resolved.
The Interior Department’s plan “assumes a shutdown of no more than approximately 30 calendar days or 22 work days.”
But even that is uncertain. The debate is likely to begin with the new Congress that takes office on January 3. That Congress is unlikely to give the president a better deal then the one he had.
The uncertainty in federal spending complicates tribal government operations. A study by the General Accountability Office in 2018 found that budget uncertainty is expensive. “Existing challenges related to the recruitment and retention of health care providers—such as difficulty recruiting providers in rural locations—are exacerbated by funding uncertainty … for instance, one tribe incurred higher interest on loans when the uncertainty of the availability of federal funds led to a downgraded credit rating.” And this as was financing construction of a healthcare facility.
The Senate is tentatively scheduled to meet again on Thursday … but only if there is a deal between the White House and Senate Democrats. And right now, there is a big gap between the two positions.
I am Mark Trahant.
