Shutdown Continues As Courts Deal with Agency RIFs

The Senate failed to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to fund and reopen the federal government for the eleventh time on Monday, extending the government shutdown into a fourth week. 

• What’s Happening: Negotiations remain at an impasse, with neither side showing signs of compromise. Democrats are pushing to include an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits in the continuing resolution (CR), while Republicans are advocating for a clean CR and a separate vote on the credits after the government reopens.

Last Wednesday, Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) to block layoffs of some union employees after they filed suit against the government. She extended the TRO to additional executive branch union employees on Friday.

Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), wrote a letter to HUD Secretary Turner requesting information on the RIF notices sent to HUD and how they are impacting operations.