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From Peter Alexander and Dareh Gregorian
The Trump Administration Wants to Know What Programs Would Be Affected if the Government Closure Continued for Additional Weeks, a High Budget Office Management A manager told NBC News.
The administration asked agency leaders to provide a list of programs likely to be affected if the closure – already the longest in US history – lasted for weeks, said the top responsible. ] "Prudent management means planning and preparation for events with no known end date," said the manager. "While the OMB continues to manage this partial cancellation of credits, unfunded agencies are being asked to continue to share a continuing program with it." The request was first reported by the Washington Post. Acting White House Cabinet, Mick Mulvaney, told agency executives that he wanted to know about high-impact programs – would be threatened if the closure lasted until March or even April, and he wants the list no later than Friday, the newspaper quoted people close to the directive as saying.
Economists told NBC News that a prolonged government shutdown could be envisaged. economy – as well as for nearly 40 million Americans who would lose food coupons, two million people likely to lose rent support and the 800,000 federal workers and about 1 million , 2 million subcontractors who do not receive a pay check.
Demonstrators Arrested in DC
Hundreds of frustrated and troubled federal employees demonstrated Wednesday in Washington to urge Senators to no longer sit on the sidelines and bring back the government .
Workers silently demonstrated in front of the Hart Senate Office Building. for 33 minutes – one minute for each day spent without pay since the beginning of the closure. Many paper plates on which were glued messages, such as "hostage", "federal workers are hungry" and "please, let's work."
The protest then moved to the Russell Senate Office Building, where 12 protesters, including several union leaders were arrested in front of the Senate Majority's Office, Mitch McConnell.
"They were asking for a meeting," NBC News told an event organizer, spokesman for the National Federation of Federal Employees, Brittany Holder,
. also targeted by protesters in his country of origin. About three dozen workers demonstrated in front of his office in Lexington – and the police were summoned when they tried in vain to present his office with letters describing the difficulties that the closure had imposed on them.
The absence of a paycheck "is causing much grief and grief," said Paula Metcalf, who works for the Census Bureau in Jeffersonville, Indiana. . Metcalf said that she had medical problems that she could not afford.
"I need a lot of medicine and I am not able to pay the co-pays," she said.
"I blame (President Donald Trump and I blame McConnell," said Metcalf. "They just need to let us go back to work."
McConnell's low profile during the shutdown that began December 22 after the Democrats refused Trump's request The Senate had already passed a bill to keep the government open, which included no funding for the wall.
After a "Where & # 39" campaign Mitch's first-year Democrats in the House of Representatives, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, McConnell announced that the Senate would hold two votes on competing spending proposals on Thursday.The Republican law would reopen the government and add a new vote. funding of $ 5.7, while the Democratic version -open the government until February 8. [19659009] No measure should pass.
A bipartite group of five former sec Department of Homeland Security reports, which former White House chief of staff, John Kelly, issued on Wednesday a joint letter inviting Congress and the President to "fund DHS's critical mission" . "
The letter warned that the more DHS employees were forced to work without pay, the more likely they were to seek employment elsewhere.
" High-tech skills, such as information technology and Cybersecurity – And security forces and experience in the private sector are very much in demand, and the Department is facing a real crisis to keep this workforce busy week after week, "says the letter.
The letter was signed by Kelly Trump before becoming his chief of staff, two people who served in that role under President Obama – Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson, and two who led DHS under President George W Bush – Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff
In the meantime, in addition to the financial difficulties, the closure causes unexpected problems.
In a recent example, a network D Rescue groups working with the National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration to help marine mammals, such as whales and seals, said the closure made their work more difficult.
A poll released Wednesday A strong majority of Americans accuse Trump of being behind this closure, bringing his approval rate down to its lowest level ever since. 39, one year. work performance of Trump, down 42% in December
Associated Press contributed.
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