In order for the government to operate, Congress must pass bills that provide approval for agencies to run. If government agencies are not given this congressional approval, they will stop doing all but the essential functions – for example law enforcement or air traffic control. In the case of a shutdown, non-essential personnel will not go to work, and they will not be paid. Furthermore, essential employees still going to work are not paid during this time. Once the government is running again, all government workers will receive back pay for the checks they were not given. Some operations are not affected as much by a shutdown – the US can still provide Social Security benefits and healthcare services. On Saturday, March 23rd, President Biden signed a bill to avert a shutdown. This had been passed by the House and Senate earlier in the week, the culmination of months of negotiations between the Democrats and Republicans over how to fund the government.
Elisabeth Grove