Winners and Losers — In the Aftermath of the Government Shutdown
Where was the concern from the employer (the US federal Government) for its federal employees (public servants) during the government shutdown?
Out of touch advisors to the President had this to say…
One of President Donald Trump’s top aides suggested the shutdown gave furloughed workers free vacation time. Another called it a “glitch.” And then, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said he didn’t “really quite understand why” unpaid federal workers are going to food banks and that federal workers should seek low-interest loans to tide them over. The President himself, commented that the furloughed employees are mostly Democrats — with no proof to that notion.
Here’s what we know about the Trump Administration’s policies.
On March 13, 2017, the President issued Executive Order 13781, which is a comprehensive plan for reorganizing the Executive branch.
Purpose. The order is intended to improve the efficiency, effective- ness, and accountability of the executive branch by directing the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (Director) to propose a plan to reorganize governmental functions and eliminate unnecessary agencies.
There are several sections under the proposed plan, however, it is worth noting here the following: sections (iv) and (v) of the order.
The proposed plan shall include recommendations for any legislation or administrative measures necessary to achieve the proposed reorganization.
(iv) whether the costs of continuing to operate an agency, a component, or a program are justified by the public benefits it provides; and
(v) the costs of shutting down or merging agencies, components, or pro- grams, including the costs of addressing the equities of affected agency staff.
Interestingly the reorganization effort originally called for public input on the re-organization of the federal agencies, but those comments appear to have gone missing. A Freedom of Information Act request submitted in July 2017 by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility returned a notification that “no responsive records were located” concerning public comments on government reorganization.
The end of this unnecessary shutdown most likely came about as a result of the shortage of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic controllers causing lengthy flight delays along the East Coast that affected thousands of passengers. But that was only the most vivid and visible of vital safety functions that were suspended.
Many other critical protections were not provided because the employees responsible for providing them were not deemed “essential.” For example, the Food and Drug Administration ceased inspections of foods at high risk for contamination.
The Environmental Protection Agency halted routine inspections of refineries, chemical plants, and other manufacturing facilities.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration quit reviewing consumer complaints, suspended new car assessments, stopped compliance testing of existing vehicles, and halted 13 active investigations into automobile defects.
The Coast Guard canceled some of its enforcement missions aimed at ensuring that fishing vessels were in compliance with maritime safety laws.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission stopped analyzing hazards posed by toys, appliances, and other consumer products, and its inspectors were no longer monitoring for dangerous products at the nation’s ports.
The lost protections were not limited to direct threats to health and safety. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had to close the “Do Not Call” list that it maintains to prevent irritating robocalls. Victims of identity theft seeking assistance and recourse from the FTC were told that “we are unable to offer this website service at this time.”
Furloughed cyber security experts at the FTC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice were not monitoring for threats from malevolent actors in foreign countries to the national electricity grid and to trade-secret information on company computers. The State Department had to cancel its 16th annual gathering of experts from 85 nations to share information on export controls and, ironically, on border security.
Congress has frequently enacted laws that require government approval before companies can undertake many kinds of potentially risky behavior. The absence of civil servants to oversee and approve regulated products and activities effectively deprived companies of access to the marketplace.
The Food and Drug Administration stopped accepting new drug applications, and its ongoing approval of a new drug to treat peanut allergies was delayed until the end of the year. Airlines could not add to their fleets or to their routes because the FAA’s 3100 safety inspectors were furloughed.
Without agents from the National Marine Fisheries Service available to debrief onboard observers on commercial fishing vessels, Alaskan fishermen were effectively grounded.
The Securities and Exchange Commission stopped approving registration statements that were needed for privately held companies to make initial public offerings to prospective shareholders.
Developers of 5G internet technologies could not get innovative equipment authorized by a closed Federal Communications Commission. And craft brewers were unable to market new seasonal beers because the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in the Justice Department must approve the label for each new variety, and its staff was not on the job.
The Forest Service was unable to conduct firefighting training courses for the crews that will be needed to fight this year’s wildfires, and it had to cancel projects to clear deadwood and conduct controlled burns to reduce the risk of future fires.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency did not process grants to assist states in preparing for terrorist attacks, and it did not conduct training exercises or planning for this year’s hurricane season. Furloughed scientists at the National Weather Service were not updating hurricane forecast models.
The Chemical Safety Board, a small federal agency that investigates the causes of chemical spills, was out of commission throughout the shutdown. Scientists conducting ongoing observations of invasive and endangered species had to halt or delay their studies. Climate change research sponsored by the Department of the Interior was crippled. And critical economic data upon which the Federal Reserve Board bases interest rates were unavailable for more than a month.
It may be hard to calculate just how much economic loss the shutdown caused, because much of the data necessary to estimate its cost was not collected during the shutdown. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the net loss at a minimum of $3 billion, but the number could be much higher. However, 300 million work hours disappeared in a little more than a month. FDA officials predicted that it would take a year to catch up with neglected approvals of new drugs. And it may take years for some national parks to recover from the damage they suffered when park rangers were on furlough.
Big corporations and Wall Street investors covet the $6 trillion in local, state and federal annual public spending on schools, prisons, water systems, transit systems, roads, bridges and much more. It has become clear that the 40-year conservative assault on government is enriching some and leaving more and more Americans behind. Even though the President publicly states that government jobs aren’t going away — his policies state something entirely different so, in the world of Trump — who wins and who loses?
About the Author: For more than a decade, Tonya Saunders, Principal at Washington Premier Group (WPG) has been involved in strategic advocacy recognizing it takes both sides of the aisle to garner support for legislative initiatives. She has been involved in passing legislation on healthcare, technology and telecommunications among others — representing trade associations, coalitions and corporations on Capitol Hill. She is a Board member of the National Woman’s Party and has been professionally recognized with numerous awards in advocacy and leadership.
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