What’s up with the partial government shutdown on Day 26:
WHAT’S NEW
The Internal Revenue Service is recalling about 46,000 of its employees furloughed by the partial government shutdown to handle tax returns and pay out refunds. For now, they’ll have to work without pay.
The White House tried to bypass House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in shutdown negotiations, but rank-and-file House Democrats declined an invitation to lunch Tuesday with President Donald Trump.
Some federal workers are taking on odd jobs to make ends meet. They have more options than in past shutdowns.
The partial government shutdown is slowing plans by some companies to issue stock to the public and potentially cutting off a key source of capital for the financial markets.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware: “The shutdown will eventually take us to a place where the average American is angry at and sick of all of us.”
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WHAT’S COMING NEXT?
Trump is expected to sign legislation this week authorizing back pay for some 800,000 federal workers who either have been idled or are working without pay for as long as the shutdown lasts.
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WHAT REMAINS CLOSED
Nine of the 15 Cabinet-level departments have not been funded, including Agriculture , Homeland Security, State, Transportation, Interior and Justice. Some iconic National Park facilities are shuttered as are the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington. Nearly everyone at NASA is being told to stay home.
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WHO IS AT WORK BUT NOT GETTING PAID
Some 420,000 federal employees whose work is declared essential are working without pay, including at the FBI, TSA and other federal law enforcement offices. Some staff at the State and Homeland Security departments are also working without compensation.
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For AP’s complete coverage of the U.S. government shutdown: https://apnews.com/GovernmentShutdown
