SC federal employees may need to hold off bill collectors as shutdown drags on
As the New Year approaches, thousands of federal workers across the Palmetto State face the prospect of having to get by without their usual paychecks.
With a partial shutdown of the federal government entering its sixth day, nearly 800,000 federal employees nationwide either have been furloughed or are working without pay. Meanwhile, negotiations stalled Thursday to reopen the quarter of government that now is closed.
With President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats in a stalemate over funding for a border wall, the shutdown is expected to last into January.
“Democrats under (House Minority Leader Nancy) Pelosi and (Senate Minority Leader Chuck) Schumer have dug in. The president has dug in,” U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-York, told Fox News. “The sides are pretty well drawn. I don’t see a quick end to this. ... We’re in for a long haul.”
Nationwide, roughly 420,000 federal workers, deemed essential, are working unpaid, including active-duty members of the U.S. Coast Guard in Charleston. An additional 380,000 federal workers have been furloughed.
South Carolina is the home to more than 30,000 federal workers. However, most are unaffected by the shutdown because the agency that employs them — the Defense Department, for instance — has been funded for the year.
The federal Office of Personnel Management released draft letters Thursday to aid federal employees in holding off creditors during the government shutdown. The agency said federal workers could send the letters to creditors, mortgage companies and landlords asking for their patience and understanding.
Most of the federal workers affected will not get their first paycheck in January, according to Roll Call.
In past shutdowns, Congress has authorized back pay to federal workers who have been furloughed or required to work without pay. The Senate last week passed legislation to do that again, and House lawmakers introduced companion legislation.
Here is a look at who and what is affected:
- U.S. Coast Guard: Some 42,000 active-duty members will remain on duty, but without pay until further notice. “Unless legislation is passed by Friday, Dec. 28, our military workforce will not receive our regularly scheduled pay check for 31 Dec.,” the U.S. Coast Guard told NBC News. The Coast Guard’s Charleston station did not return a request for comment Thursday. The Coast Guard is the only branch of the military funded under the Department of Homeland Security.
- Federal courthouses: South Carolina’s federal courthouses remain open. As presidential appointees, U.S. attorneys are not subject to furlough, and criminal cases will continue without interruption, according to the Justice Department. Civil suits, however, may be curtailed or postponed. A spokesman for South Carolina’s U.S. attorney could not be reached for comment Thursday.
- FEMA: A vast majority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s employees will stay on the job. The agency also will continue to help those recovering from natural disasters with rental assistance, home repairs, filling prescriptions and finding temporary shelter. Congress created an independent disaster relief fund that FEMA uses to pay its employees and fund services. That fund is unaffected by the shutdown.
- HUD: Of the roughly 7,500 employees of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development nationwide, slightly more than 300 are working without pay while others are furloughed. HUD will continue to disburse housing and homeless assistance payments, including Section 8 rental assistance vouchers, and block grant funds where prior year funds have been obligated.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Immigration services field offices in Charleston and Greer remain open, and all applicants should attend interviews and appointments as scheduled, according to the agency. However, E-Verify — the free internet-based system that allows businesses to check the eligibility of employees to work in the United States — will be closed during the shutdown, according to the agency.
- TSA: About 53,000 workers with the Transportation Security Administration and air-traffic controllers will work without pay until a new spending bill is passed.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Rural Development offices in the state have closed and other Agriculture Department activities will be shut down or significantly reduced. However, the agency will continue food inspections, and food stamp and monthly nutrition assistance benefits for January. Child nutrition programs, including school breakfasts and lunches, will continue into February. Some farm payments also will continue for the shutdown’s first week. After that, farm loans and some farm payments would not continue.
- Congaree National Park: Trails at Congaree remain open. However, there are no visitor services, including trash pickup and maintenance.
