Tag Archives: Government shutdown

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Federal shutdown effects on Washington State


Washington State Convention Center
Washington State Convention Center (Photo credit: OZinOH)

NewsTribune.com

The federal government shutdown has prompted big cutbacks at the state Employment Security Department, which on Tuesday put half of its 1,669 staffers on furlough or reduced hours. About 833 workers are affected by the cutbacks, including about half who are working at 50 percent or 60 percent of full time and the other half who are furloughed…

SeattleTimes

OLYMPIA – More than 400 state workers were furloughed Tuesday and another 450 had their hours reduced because of the federal government shutdown, the state Employment Security Department said. The ESD, which processes unemployment claims, gets about 87 percent of its funding from the federal government, the Seattle Times said.

How does the federal shutdown affect Employment Security?

Employment Security is a state agency, but we get about 87 percent of our funding from the federal government – so our operations are closely tied to the fate of the federal budget.

Due to the federal shutdown, we’re no longer receiving federal funds to cover our unemployment-benefits and tax operations. In order to continue these critical services, we have laid off or reduced the hours of 50 percent of Employment Security staff who are not directly involved in processing benefit claims or collecting taxes. Only services that are funded, plus essential administrative support for the funded services, will be continued until a federal budget is approved.

Will unemployment benefits continue to be paid during the federal shutdown?

The federal government is continuing to provide money for unemployment benefits, but is not providing funds to cover the administrative cost of processing those claims. For the time being, we’ve decided to maintain these critical services using our limited state funds. Therefore, unemployment benefits will continue to be paid for at least a few more weeks.

Will WorkSource remain open?

WorkSource offices remain open for now, but with reduced capacity.

WorkSource is a partnership, where multiple state agencies and local organizations deliver a mix of employment and worker-training services throughout the state. The major partners are Employment Security and the 12 local workforce development councils. At this time:

  • Employment Security has federal funds available to maintain job-search services through next June, but some of our specialized funding streams are not available until Congress approves a budget (e.g., veterans employment services, labor-market information, etc.). Therefore, some of our capacity and expertise in the WorkSource centers was reduced beginning Oct. 8.
  • The workforce development councils also have lost access to much of their federal funding due to the federal shutdown. Contact them individually for information about their current status.

What isn’t getting done right now?

  • Unemployment-insurance fraud investigations are suspended.
  • Unemployment benefits overpayments and penalties aren’t being collected.
  • The second level of benefits appeals (Commissioner’s Review Office) is not available. Those appeals are on hold.
  • Claims staff can’t get assistance with benefits policy questions.
  • Labor-market data aren’t being updated, and reports aren’t being completed. (E.g., We won’t be able to release the September employment report next week.)
  • VISTA volunteers are still performing their community service, but they’re not getting their stipends.
  • Legislation isn’t getting implemented, including related communications and resources for employers and unemployed workers.
  • Most of our Lean improvement projects are inactive.
  • WorkSource employment services have been reduced by 15-25 percent in most WorkSource offices (with a few over 30%).
  • All veterans employment specialists have been furloughed.
  • Employer tax audits aren’t being conducted.
  • Only critical technology outages are being addressed. Technology improvements are on hold.
  • A wide range of federal reporting requirements aren’t being met, which could have repercussions down the line.
  • Technical assistance to workforce development councils is unavailable.
  • Unemployment-insurance orientation workshops have been suspended at WorkSource.

Please continue to monitor this website for updates.

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War on Women, Shutdown Edition


How the GOP Shutdown is Hurting Women

As we discussed yesterday, the GOP shutdown is causing pain from coast to coast. Today ThinkProgress took a closer look how the shutdown is hurting women:

1. Federal Workers’ Pay

Women make up an estimated 43 percent of the federal workplace — but they’re disproportionately represented in the types of clerical jobs that are likely to get furloughed. Women who work for the federal government still tend to be overrepresented in administrative, human resource, and assistant-level jobs, and compared to men, they’re more likely to be bringing home smaller paychecks in the first place. There have been concerns that the workers who are currently furloughed may not receive back pay.

2. Nutrition For Low-Income Mothers And Infants

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) hasn’t gotten any federal money since the government shut down October 1. Nearly 9 million low-income mothers and their children around the country rely on the program to afford food and formula. At first, all states except for North Carolina were providing benefits, and the state has since reversed course and will join the rest. But that will only last so long. Some states may only be able to cover the benefits for a few weeks or so. If the government remains shut into November, as Republicans are now proposing, some states may halt benefits to some of their neediest residents.

3. Rape Kits

If the government shutdown stretches on into November, it could eventually halt rape kits in Washington, DC. It’s just one of the many ways that the shutdown disproportionately impacts the nation’s capital, whose budget is under federal control. The two groups responsible for rape kits in DC anticipate running out of local and federal funds after this month. Rape kit processing is already notoriously sluggish across the country, an issue that can make navigating the court system even more difficult for victims of sexual assault — particularly since forensic evidence of rape quickly degrades.

4. College Sexual Assault Investigations

The federal investigations into U.S. colleges’ notoriously problematic sexual assault policies have been put on hold during the shutdown. When students or staff allege that their university is breaking federal law by under-reporting rapes or dissuading victims from coming forward, the case is handled by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. But those cases aren’t considered to be essential during the shutdown, so they’re all on hold until the government re-opens. That means federal officials aren’t in contact with the college students who filed formal complaints, and can’t conduct follow-up visits for the universities whose cases have recently been settled.

5. Domestic Violence Programs

Programs that offer shelter and support services to victims of domestic violence aren’t able to draw down any of their federal funding so long as the government remains closed. While some have other sources of funding to fall back on, others, particularly small, rural programs, could quickly face the possibility of shutting down their operations. Some are considering layoffs. Most have already faced severely reduced government funding, with 80 percent reporting a drop last year. Programs had already warned that the budget cuts from sequestration could lead to more homicides of women who are denied services.

6. Child Care And Head Start

Working moms are going to be put in a bind the longer the shutdown lasts. Twenty-three Head Start programs across the country were expecting federal money in October, and without it some have faced the need to close classrooms. More than 7,000 children in six states lost access, but since then wealthy philanthropists have offered the national organization enough money to keep it open for now. But the longer the shutdown lasts, more programs will face the same challenge. When a classroom shuts down, not only does a child lose access to preschool, but some parents are forced to quit their jobs because they have no where to leave their kids. The same problem will face working mothers if child care subsidies dry up during the shutdown. All federal money has been cut off since last Tuesday, and while states should have prior year funding to fall back on to cover the costs in the meantime, those funds may have been depleted by sequestration, a drop in welfare funding, and the ending of stimulus money.

BOTTOM LINE: Enough is enough. The longer the GOP keeps the government closed, the more Americans, including women, and our economy will suffer. It’s time for Speaker Boehner to allow a vote on a clean funding bill to end this shutdown crisis and re-open the entire government.

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Government Shutdown Pain Spreads


By

7 Ways the GOP Shutdown is Hurting Americans

House Republican leaders are at the White House right now presenting their plan to give the nation a six-week reprieve from certain economic doom by agreeing that Congress will pay the nation’s bills through November 22.

We’re glad the Republicans recognize that we absolutely cannot risk an economic shutdown by defaulting on our obligations. As President Obama and Democrats have made clear and continue to make clear, it is non-negotiable for Congress to pay the bills Congress itself has already racked up.

Nevertheless, House Republicans are still insisting on prolonging another crisis – the government shutdown – for absolutely no reason. Republicans started this government shutdown in a failed attempt to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans but it should not go on a minute longer, whether it’s over Obamacare, hurt feelings, or any other reason.

Here are seven stories of the pain that is rippling across America thanks to the GOP shutdown:

BOTTOM LINE: Enough is enough. The longer the GOP keeps the government closed, the more Americans and our economy will suffer. It’s time for Speaker Boehner to allow a vote on a clean funding bill to end this shutdown crisis and re-open the entire government.

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by John Whitehouse


Media Matters for America
 

“[J]ournalists have been suckered into embracing ‘balance’ and ‘neutrality’ at all costs, and the consequences of their choice in an era of political extremism will only get worse and worse.” – Dan Froomkin on coverage of the government shutdown.

John Whitehouse
Twitter: @existentialfish

The False Equivalency Reporting

Tired of the false equivalency reporting about the government shutdown and looming sovereign debt crisis? So are we. Here are just some of the worst examples of this type of reporting: http://mm4a.org/1bI9RTO
Related: Time‘s entertainment writer James Poniewozik explains succinctly why false equivalence matters during this crisis: http://ti.me/16z3v50 While her colleagues honestly report on the severe consequences of default, CNN’s Erin Burnett pushes the GOP line: http://mm4a.org/1a9ePCi

Even 60 Minutes Fell For This

It was disappointing when NPR fell for a right-wing attack on the Social Security disability program. Now, even the venerable 60 Minutes has fallen for it — causing disability rights groups to condemn the report. Hannah Groch-Begley explains: http://mm4a.org/199FcLi
Related: As expected, Fox News pounced on this immediately, without noting the falling number of such claims: http://mm4a.org/GLMQAF

Fox Changes Its Tune

Fox News pushed Republicans to shut down the government, with Sean Hannity even telling them to “hold the line.” But now that the shutdown is unpopular, Hannity is trying to shift blame to President Obama: http://mm4a.org/19jlE5u
Related: “I want to punish these people.” That’s how Fox’s Stuart Varney talks about federal employees currently furloughed. http://mm4a.org/175tiOM Laura Ingraham joined in, saying that she is “just beginning to enjoy” the shutdown because of how it is punishing federal employees: http://bit.ly/16z73nX

 

 

FEATURED VIDEO

Yes, Fox News actually pushed a satirical story that Barack Obama was personally funding a Muslim museum during the government shutdown: http://mm4a.org/1fQXFBP

WEEKLY WTF

Fox News had Zeeda Andrews on to promote her truck rally in DC. Fox didn’t mention that she believes Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden are the same person: http://mm4a.org/1amKLV1

INSIDE THE GUN LOBBY

Alex Zaitchik attended Alan Gottlieb’s Gun Rights Policy Conference. He found what the gun lobby is secretly afraid of, and what they’re planning next: http://mm4a.org/15k1RTO

IMAGE OF THE WEEK


5 Things To Know About The Next Citizens United
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Meet Butch


ThinkProgress

Dear Friend,

The new health care marketplaces established by Obamacare opened on October 1, and they’ve already had an incredible impact.

Last week, ThinkProgress brought you the story of a man named Butch Matthews. He’s an Arkansas Republican and former small business owner, never liked Obamacare, but he learned to love the law when he found out it would save him $13,000 a year.

Still, the tea party in Congress have used misinformation about Obamacare to justify shutting down the government. Now, hundreds of thousands of federal employees are going without a paycheck.

So, before I go on, I just want to say: If you’re affected by the shutdown, then ignore this email. We understand, you can’t give during this difficult time. Thank you for your service.

But if you aren’t affected and you count on our coverage, then we need you. We have plans to expand our work during this critical time, but need to hit our $25,000 goal in the next week to put them into action.

Click here to give $5 or more so ThinkProgress can keep bringing you stories like Butch’s. We can’t do this work without your help.

Part of the reason we have this government shutdown is because so many people are misinformed about the impact of Obamacare. Good information will help lead us out of the crisis. That’s why stories like Butch Matthews’ matter so much, and that’s why we need to redouble our efforts.

We want to keep finding the people like Butch who tell us the real story of Obamacare, but we need the funding to do that. Without ThinkProgress on the case, these stories simply will not be told.

Even as little as $5 can make a difference, so act right now if you value our hard-hitting coverage. We need your support to hit our $25,000 goal.

Donate $5 or more so ThinkProgress can fight back against the conservative misinformation machine. We can get the truth out, but only with your help.

It’s not enough to bemoan the conservative misinformation machine—fight back!

Please give what you can—together we cut through the DC echo chamber with the stories of real people and an unflinching commitment to the truth.

Sincerely,

Tom Perriello