LEWISTON — At the stroke of midnight Monday, the federal government partially shut down because Congress failed to agree on essential funding.
By early Tuesday, the blame game was on.
In a statement issued midday, Gov. Paul LePage called the shutdown the “result of failure of leadership in Washington, D.C.,” and assured Mainers the shutdown would not significantly affect state government, at least in the short term.
“Although some positions and programs in state agencies are federally funded, all functions of state government will proceed as normal through the end of the week,” the governor said.
If the shutdown continues, LePage said, it could affect some state agencies. He noted that 280 federal employees working for the Maine Army National Guard had been put on furlough until further notice.
Active-duty military personnel will remain on the job, but the shutdown affects military technicians who work for the Guard, Maj. Michael Steinbuchel, spokesman for the Maine Air National Guard and Maine Army National Guard, told the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday.
“These employees, who provide services at the Maine Guard and maintenance facilities — they work in every department from our human resources, to logistics to maintenance,” he said.
The shutdown was triggered by the continued objection by some Republicans to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and their desire to strip funding for it.
U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, called it a hostage situation.
“(The shutdown) is not a dispute between the House and the Senate and it’s not a dispute between the Republicans and the Democrats,” King said. “It’s a dispute within a part of the Republican Caucus. A group of about 125 people are holding the whole Congress, a group of 535 people, hostage.”
He added, “My concern is if we made some kind of deal, we’ve established a precedent that if you hold the government hostage, you win something.” And, if Republicans prevail by shutting down government, “my concern is that every time from now on this will be the pattern. This will be how we legislate, essentially.”
U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Maine, said he was concerned about the impact a drawn-out shutdown would have on the ability of the Veterans Affairs Administration to make benefit payments and deliver health care.
“The political games need to stop and we must pass a funding resolution as soon as possible,” Michaud said. “Our veterans did nothing to deserve this uncertainty, and shouldn’t be shouldering the burden of a broken Congress.”
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, also criticized Republicans for what she called an unnecessary shutdown orchestrated to undermine the ACA, also known as Obamacare.
In a written statement, she urged Mainers not to worry about the shutdown. “Laws will still be enforced, emergencies responded to and our country defended,” she said, acknowledging that the shutdown would eventually affect citizens’ lives.
On Monday, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, issued a written statement “urging congressional leaders and the president to agree on at least a stopgap funding measure to avoid a government shutdown,” but she made no statement on the shutdown Tuesday.
The shutdown ends funding for all nonessential federal services and stops payroll for nonessential federal employees.
According to Michaud’s office, congressional offices will continue to be staffed, although interns have been let go and staff will not be paid. If the shutdown lingers, according to Michaud’s office, congressional staffers may be one of the few accessible sources of information for constituents who need help with federal agencies.
In Maine, during the shutdown:
• Social Security benefits will not be interrupted. Checks will continue to be automatically deposited in bank accounts or mailed to homes. Social Security offices will have limited staff and no new hearings for benefits will be scheduled.
• Medicare benefits will continue without interruption, but no new applications will be processed.
• VA Togus and community-based outpatient clinics will remain open, disability compensation checks will be paid and the VA call center will be staffed. No new applications for benefits will be processed.
• SNAP (food stamps) will continue through October.
• WIC offices will stay open and benefits will be available.
• Administration of Children and Families has stopped processing new applications for TANF benefits and child-care grants.
• IRS offices are closed; taxpayer advocate offices are closed.
• Passport offices in federal buildings may be closed if the buildings are closed, but the National Passport Center in Portsmouth, N.H., will remain open.
• U.S. citizenship and immigration service offices will remain open and fully operational.
• Federal courts in Portland and Bangor will remain open for the next 10 business days. On Oct. 15, the Judiciary will re-evaluate the situation. All deadlines for court proceedings remain in effect.
• National parks and national wildlife reserves are closed. Acadia National Park’s trails will remain open for walking, biking and hiking, but the park is no longer staffed.
• Small Business Administration operations are closed, with the exception of the disaster loan program.
• ACA health insurance exchanges, which opened Oct. 1, remain open and available to accept applications.
• Most federal education and help center hot lines are closed.
• Border patrols continue in full force.
• Army Corps of Engineers projects have stopped.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
