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A Federal Government Shutdown: What to Expect
To help CPDA members navigate a possible government shutdown, here’s some information on what to expect and how it could affect your business.
Background
Government funding runs out on September 30. To avoid a shutdown, Congress has two options. The first is the simplest: Have both the House and Senate pass the 12 appropriations bills before the 30th. The second is to pass a short-term agreement called a continuing resolution (CR), which keeps the government funded at current levels until Congress agrees on a budget to fund the government for the next fiscal year. If Congress can’t agree, the government shuts down. As of this writing, a shutdown seems likely.
Politics
At issue is spending levels, with fiscally conservative Republicans seeking to cut spending from amounts agreed to in June. Republicans hold a slim 222-213 majority in the House, which means that a 5-vote swing is enough to derail most agreements. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) doesn’t appear to be opposed to a CR. However, he is clear on passing a final budget by early December. The opposition within the Republican Caucus is led by 15 fiscally conservative Republicans – the Freedom Caucus – who want additional cuts and can derail any agreement.
On the Senate side, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) supports passing a CR before the end of September. He, too, wants a final agreement in early December.
CPDA Member Company Impacts
If there’s a shutdown, all nonessential federal workers must stay home. They are not permitted to do any work, including checking email, answering calls etc. Depending upon the length of a potential shutdown, this could impact federal agencies working on topics impacting CPDA member companies, particularly with regards to EPA.
EPA Shutdown Plans
PRIA V contains language which specifically applies to EPA in the event of a shutdown. That language directs EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) to access the money in the Pesticide Registration Fund and the Reregistration and Expedited Processing Fund. This will allow OPP to continue some operations in a government shutdown. EPA is reviewing fund balances and determining which staff will work and what activities will continue if there is a shutdown.
The CDX portal is an EPA-wide data submission portal maintained by the Office of Mission Support. For CPDA members who submit pesticide registration actions during a shutdown, OPP does not yet know if the portal will remain operational during a shutdown.
OPP staff are clear that they want to live up to the requirements in PRIA V and continue as much work as possible.
The full EPA shutdown plan can be found here.
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