Some Federal Law Enforcement Receiving “Super Checks” Amidst Ongoing Shutdown
More than 700,000 federal employees are going without pay as the government shutdown moves into its fourth week. Though, a group of 70,000 law enforcement officers is one of the exceptions.
Customs and Border Protection border patrol agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officers, Secret Service Special Agents, and Transportation Security Administration air marshals will continue to be paid during the ongoing shutdown, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem outlined on social media last week that these personnel will receive “super checks” by Wednesday covering their next pay period, as well as lost wages from the first few days of the shutdown, and applicable overtime pay.
Not all essential workers have been so blessed. Among the hundreds of thousands of government employees not being paid are air traffic controllers, who have been deemed necessary employees.Many are working 60 hours, six days a week, and some are taking on second “gig jobs,” such as serving at restaurants or driving for Uber or DoorDash, according to Nick Daniels, president of the National air Traffic Controllers Association.
“To think that somehow we can live with, ‘You’ll get paid eventually,’ that doesn’t pay the creditors, that doesn’t pay the mortgage, that doesn’t pay gas, that doesn’t pay the food bill,” Daniels told Fortune earlier this week. “No one takes IOUs, and the air traffic controllers are having to feel that pressure as well.”
The decisions of who gets paid and who doesn’t during government shutdowns depends on department personnel sorting employees into respective groups of essential and non-essential,as well as appropriations for salaries that may or may not be impacted by the lapsed Congressional budget.
But this employee selection process is fully arbitrary and subjective, highlighting a failure of government shutdowns, which are ultimately more expensive than keeping the government operating, according to Linda Bilmes, a public finance expert and senior lecturer at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco estimated for each week the shutdown continues, it reduces GDP by 0.2 percentage points.
Government Shutdowns: A Recurring Cycle with Rising Costs
Government shutdowns, a seemingly frequent occurrence in recent decades, are a consequence of a 1974 Congressional budget reform. This reform was enacted in response to President Richard nixon’s attempts to impound – or withhold – funds that Congress had already allocated. Prior to 1974,the President held notable control over the federal budget; the reform shifted more budgetary power to Congress.
however, the current system, characterized by numerous fiscal and appropriations committees, has become complex and often inefficient, according to Harvard Kennedy School lecturer Linda Bilmes. This complexity leads to uneven impacts during shutdowns.As an exmaple, the Department of Veterans Affairs operates on a two-year budget cycle, shielding it from immediate funding lapses during a Congressional impasse. Similarly,agencies like the Patent and Trademark Office are funded through user fees (patent fees in this case) rather than Congressional appropriations,meaning their employees are not directly affected by a shutdown.
Despite the intention to save money, shutdowns can actually increase costs. While many federal employees are furloughed (temporarily placed on unpaid leave) and eventually receive backpay, government contractors are frequently enough not guaranteed this reimbursement.According to reporting from Federal News Network, many contractors do not receive backpay during shutdowns. Aware of this risk due to the increasing frequency of shutdowns, contractors frequently enough inflate their contract prices to account for potential lost income, ultimately increasing costs for taxpayers.
Bilmes suggests that automatic budget extensions could resolve the disparities in pay and economic impact during shutdowns. This would involve automatically continuing the previous budget until a new one is approved. However, she cautions that this approach could diminish crucial discussions about long-term planning and strategic priorities that typically accompany the budget process. An option solution proposed is transitioning the entire government to a two-year budget cycle, reducing the frequency of potentially disruptive quarterly budget debates. A 2004 report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities also explored automatic budget resolutions.
Ultimately, Bilmes argues, the current process is detrimental to the American public. “In my view,” she stated, “it’s like spending money on shooting ourselves in the foot and deciding which foot we want to shoot first.”