US government begins preparations for a partial shutdown with one week until deadline – despite agreement

The clock is ticking toward a September 30 deadline to fund the government, and even with a possible deal to avert a lapse in funding, parts of the US government will start the behind-the-scenes process of preparing for a potential shutdown.

The clock is ticking toward a September 30 deadline to fund the government, and even with a possible deal to avert a lapse in funding, parts of the US government will start the behind-the-scenes process of preparing for a potential shutdown. On Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, laid out in a letter to his members a plan to vote this week and avert a shutdown, and Democratic leaders praised bipartisan negotiations, appearing on board with such a plan barring any last-minute changes. Still, with roughly a week until the deadline, the standard procedure laying out the steps toward bringing nonessential government functions to a halt will soon get underway for all federal government departments and agencies, an administration official told CNN. “One week prior to the expiration of appropriations bills, regardless of whether the enactment of appropriations appears imminent, OMB will communicate with agency senior officials to remind agencies of their responsibilities to review and update orderly shutdown plans, and will share a draft communication template to notify employees of the status of appropriations,” according to a document from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. That standard guidance will be circulated Monday, seven days before a shutdown could occur. Every department and agency has its own set of plans and procedures. Those plans include information on how many employees would get furloughed, which employees are essential and would work without pay, how long it would take to wind down operations in the hours before a shutdown, and which activities would come to a halt.