The  government shutdown has many people wondering which end is up. Our sincere thanks to the South-Central Michigan Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) for allowing us to share their useful information on the topic.

Background

Federal agencies receive funding through a series of appropriations bills. A number of these bills - including those that fund the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education - have been approved for the federal fiscal year that began October 1st. As a result, those agencies are not being affected by the partial shutdown of the federal government.

What Agencies are Affected?

The agencies affected by the shutdown include: Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, Transportation and Treasury. Also shut down is the SBA, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Executive Office of the President.

As stated above, Congress had already approved spending bills for many federal agencies and departments for Fiscal Year 2019, so they are still running as normal. They include: Defense, Education, Veterans Affairs, Energy, Labor, Health and Human Services, Legislative branch and the Bureau of Reclamation.

What Does "Shutdown" Mean?

Every Federal Agency is required to prepare a shutdown plan, which designates staff as essential or nonessential. Non-essential staff are furloughed, which means that they are prohibited from doing any work associated with their job. No email, phone calls, working from home or off-site meetings. It is a serious offense to work while furloughed and can get you fired. Essential staff work as normally as possible but may be impacted significantly by their supporting functions being shut down.

Portions of currently unfunded agencies may operate using non-appropriated funds - revenues from fees such as the IFF (Industrial Funding Fee), which supports GSA's Federal Acquisition Schedules. When in doubt, ask.  Read on