The Department of Transportation might be forced to shut down the airspace in certain parts of the country if the government shutdown continues into next week.
We elect our politicians on a set schedule, and keep our Executive and Legislative branches separate. So, the next opportunity to “form a new government” is next November, when we re-elect the entire House and 1/3 of the Senate.
And keep in mind what this shutdown actually is. It is a failure to pass a law that appropriates money to government agencies. Not all government spending is subject to appropriations – in particular, Congress is still getting paid, because their salaries are not subject to yearly government appropriations.
Why can’t these agencies just continue to spend money? Because Congress made it illegal to exceed appropriations. This shutdown is not a bug, it’s how our politicians have set things up, on purpose.
It is a failure to pass a law that appropriates money to government agencies. Not all government spending is subject to appropriations – in particular, Congress is still getting paid, because their salaries are not subject to yearly government appropriations.
Yeah, it’s worth noting that the government shutdown is not budget related. The budget has already been passed. We know how much is going to be spent, and how it will be spent… This shutdown is because the appropriation was run separately, meaning the budget has passed but the various accounts for the budget have no money in them yet. The money already exists. It could be spent. But it’s not in the correct accounts, so the various agencies can’t access it. Thus, those agencies are shut down.
We elect our politicians on a set schedule, and keep our Executive and Legislative branches separate. So, the next opportunity to “form a new government” is next November, when we re-elect the entire House and 1/3 of the Senate.
And keep in mind what this shutdown actually is. It is a failure to pass a law that appropriates money to government agencies. Not all government spending is subject to appropriations – in particular, Congress is still getting paid, because their salaries are not subject to yearly government appropriations.
Why can’t these agencies just continue to spend money? Because Congress made it illegal to exceed appropriations. This shutdown is not a bug, it’s how our politicians have set things up, on purpose.
Yeah, it’s worth noting that the government shutdown is not budget related. The budget has already been passed. We know how much is going to be spent, and how it will be spent… This shutdown is because the appropriation was run separately, meaning the budget has passed but the various accounts for the budget have no money in them yet. The money already exists. It could be spent. But it’s not in the correct accounts, so the various agencies can’t access it. Thus, those agencies are shut down.
Good explanation, thank you. Not at all what I expected.