The American Horse Council (AHC) is monitoring efforts by Congress to forestall a shutdown in government operations. The shutdown would occur if Congress cannot enact a temporary mechanism to fund the government beyond the current fiscal year which ends September 30.
As of this writing, no temporary funding measures have been adopted. If no actions are taken prior to the Saturday, September 30 deadline, government programs and activities will be curtailed or cease.
In the meantime, it is important to know the Administration has some latitude in adjusting the impact and severity of a shutdown. Government programs funded through the appropriations process are the most vulnerable to disruption in a shutdown. Some agencies have programs that are funded by user fees or other methods which allows them to function either indefinitely or until the collected user fees are spent.
Health and safety programs are typically considered essential activities and will continue. For example, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) inspections of fruits, vegetables and birds, and the animal quarantine import/export activity along with certain veterinary diagnostic activities will continue to operate. USDA's Office of Public Affairs will not, so there will be no press releases, policy guidance or information distribution.
Benefit programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Veterans Affairs will continue to disburse funds. Food assistance programs such as USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) have a less certain future if the shutdown drags on for several weeks. SNAP and WIC are funded by a different mechanism than an annual appropriations process, but these contingency funds could run out over the course of a long shutdown.
We will continue to provide updates as appropriate. Here is a guide to the contingency plans of federal agencies.
AHC staff is ready to help members navigate the shutdown. Please contact us with your questions at info@horsecouncil.org
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