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Politico...
House GOP to
distribute shutdown plan
By Jonathan Allen
4/4/11
Republican leaders are preparing the House for a government shutdown,
as they plan to distribute a pamphlet about the mechanics of a partial
congressional work-stoppage to all lawmakers’ offices Tuesday morning,
according to several senior House aides.
It’s the strongest signal yet that House Speaker John Boehner believes
the White House and Congress could fail to strike a deal on a long-term
funding bill before the government’s authority to spend money runs out
on Friday. Talks came to a standstill Monday, amid amplified partisan
recriminations.
To illustrate just how tense the situation has become, Boehner (R-Ohio)
did not initially commit to a meeting President Barack Obama plans to
host at the White House on Tuesday — the same day House Republicans
plan to release their entitlement-slashing budget plan for the fiscal
year that begins Oct. 1. Boehner’s office confirmed late Monday that he
will attend but arrive after it starts.
With that as a backdrop, House Administration Committee Chairman Dan
Lungren (R-Calif.) has been tasked with compiling and distributing the
pamphlet. It is designed to give guidance on which employees are
considered essential and which are not allowed to work during a
shutdown, advise congressional staff about the status of their benefits
during a shutdown and outline which House services will continue to
operate.
Democrats pounced on the news.
“The Republican leadership is preparing for a shutdown. Instead of
coming to the table to work with Democrats and the White House, who
have offered $33 billion in cuts, Speaker Boehner is taking his
marching orders from the Tea Party, who want to ‘cut it or shut it,’”
said a House Democratic leadership aide.
“Republicans are the only ones who are talking about a shutdown and it
has never been more clear that Boehner has lost control of his
conference.”
Both sides have been talking about a shutdown — typically couched as a
desire to avoid one in the face of intransigent adversaries on the
other side.
Boehner was meeting with his Republican Conference on Monday night to
discuss the status of the long-term spending bill.
Several Republican aides declined to comment on the record about the
pamphlet, but it was described as mechanical rather than partisan.
Under the plan, “essential” staffers — those whose work must be done to
keep Congress operating — would continue to work, while others would be
furloughed and prohibited from working or talking to “essential” staff
with government-issued BlackBerrys and cell phones, according to one
source who had been apprised of the guidelines. The distinction is up
to each member’s discretion, and “essential” and “non-essential”
employees could be rotated if a shutdown lingers.
Health coverage would continue for for up to a year, and some employees
may be eligible for unemployment benefits. But staffers enrolled in the
student loan repayment program would lose that benefit during a
shutdown.
The staff gym and Capitol Visitor Center would be closed, the source
said.
A spokeswoman for Lungren could not be reached before publication of
this story.
Jake Sherman contributed to this report.
Read it at Politico
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