MINNEAPOLIS — The political drama playing out in the nation's capitol is reverberating in Minnesota, as the state's 20,000 federal workers brace for a potential Oct. 1 federal government shutdown.
Congress has until Sept. 30 just to pass a continuing resolution to keep the federal government running at full steam for another month. Eventually, it will be come down to last-minute negotiations between the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate, but as of Wednesday, House Republicans still weren't on the same page with each other.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been negotiating with the conservative House Freedom Caucus, a group of GOP House members demanding concessions in exchange for their "yes" votes on the budget. Even a vote on rules motion to set up a vote on the Department of Defense budget failed to get the needed votes.
"This is an unnecessary crisis that the Republicans have created. I'm shocked that they’re not feeling the weight of what’s happening with their conference, and their majority," US Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who belongs to the Progressive Caucus, told KARE.
"I just hope that Kevin McCarthy somehow develops a backbone and stands up for the American people and negotiates with us so that we can help make sure there is no shutdown and deliver the votes for him."
An estimated 800,000 federal workers would be furloughed or required to work without pay in the event of a shutdown. Some federal services would continue while others, such as processing new claims and benefits would slow down or be put on pause.
Fellow Minnesota Democrat Angie Craig Wednesday introduced a bill that would suspend pay for members of Congress during a government shutdown.
"In a shutdown, our air traffic controllers have to come to work every day and they don’t get paid. Our TSA agents have to come to work every day and they don’t get paid," Rep. Craig told KARE.
"Members of Congress, the very people who couldn’t come to some sort of agreement, they get paid during a government shutdown. So, I just think philosophically it is so wrong."
Craig serves on the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus along with fellow Minnesota Democrat Dean Phillips. The group is working behind the scenes to come up with ways to solve the budget deadlock.
"The White House and Democrats negotiated in good faith with Speaker McCarthy, shook hands, and reached a deal this summer to prevent the very quagmire in which America now finds itself," Rep. Phillips told KARE.
"As a member of the House Democratic leadership team and the Problem Solvers Caucus, I’m working tirelessly with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to prevent an unnecessary and inexcusable shutdown."
McCarthy told Capitol reporters he's doing all he can to avert a shutdown, but that part of the responsibility lies with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to present compromise budget plans that can win support in both the House and Senate.
Some Republicans see the threat of a shutdown as leverage to downsize the federal government and chip away at the nation's $33 trillion debt. One proposal that's been floated is an eight percent cut in government spending, except for the Department of Defense.
But that plan didn't commit new funds to supporting the allied efforts to defend Ukraine. And it very likely would be dead on arrival in the Senate.
KARE reached out to all four Republican members of Minnesota's congressional delegation but as by story deadline, none had responded to our inquiries.
Federal workers anxious
Federal workers in Minnesota say they're weary of the uncertainty in Washington over whether paychecks will still flow or they'll have what they need to serve the public.
"Like many people, I’m nervous, anxious. This is going to affect not only the VA but the entire American people," said Jake Roman, a Minneapolis Veterans Administration Hospital nurse who heads the American Federal Government Employees Local 3669 union.
He said the VA will continue to accept and treat patients, and nurses and doctors would continue to work. But he worries about the strain on employees and patients because the shutdown would force a temporary hiring freeze in a medical system that is already understaffed.
"You're going to have people burning out more. You’re going to have higher turnover," Roman told KARE.
"We’re hired to be healthcare professionals. We’re hired to take care of our veterans. We’re not hired to be political pawns in some game."
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