Shutdown

Back in the spring - around the time I had first applied for my job, oddly enough - there was a lingering possibility of a government furlough and shutdown because the fiscal year's budget had not been approved by Congress.  If Congress didn't approve the budget by 11:59 PM on a Friday night, all federal employees would not report to work again until the budget was approved.  Congress ended up waiting until quite literally the 11th hour and less then an hour prior to the deadline approved the fiscal year's budget.

I have quite a few friends and family members who work within the federal government, all of whom were ready for the furlough if it came to be.  Since I wasn't working at the time, it obviously wouldn't have affected me, but I also didn't expect the first potential government shutdown in 15 years either.  I was in high school at that time and didn't follow the news that closely, so I don't remember much of anything about the government shutdown.

This morning I got a notice on my desk about another potential shutdown this weekend.  Congress has yet to pass the federal budget for the new fiscal year, and so if nothing is resolved there will be a shutdown come Monday for an indefinite period of time.  We don't report to work and we won't get paid for any hours missed if the budget isn't approved.

Fun.

This wasn't the type of atmosphere I had expected or hoped for when I had wanted to get in the government.  I really like my job and my coworkers, and I'm amazed that twice in a calendar year Congress has argued to the last minute over expenditures and budgeting for a fiscal year.  I'm sure any congressman or U.S. representative would say what is going on behind closed doors there is important and necessary, but for this type of situation to happen twice in 2011 is upsetting.  There's no surprise as to why the general American public has lost a lot of faith in Congress, regardless of which party holds the majority now. 

There is a potential light at the end of the tunnel, though.  I looked up the latest news reports on the furlough status, and read Congress will be voting on a deal no later than tomorrow on the budget for the fiscal year.  There's a good chance I'll be back at work Monday with no interruption.  I hope that's the case, because I had my fill of being out of work already.

I have to believe that two near-furloughs in a single calendar year has to look badly on Obama.  I don't recall any budget debate being stretched out this long in recent memory, and even though one was avoided and the second looks like it will be avoided too, everything is happening under his watch.  The irony to this whole situation is that during the NFL lockout, Obama had planned on intervening so the owners and players could work out a deal if they couldn't do so.  He wanted to make sure there was no interruption in the NFL season, and here we nearly had one federal government work stoppage and could have another.  What does that say about his leadership?

Having said that, I do still believe a budget will be worked out in time.

I have to believe that.