Saturday 20, January 2018

Contact: Jared King
Communications Director
202-682-7390

***LEGISLATIVE ALERT***

Congress fails to pass continuing resolution: Federal government will shutdown

WASHINGTON—The Senate did not pass an agreement on resolution (H.J. Res. 125) previously approved by the U.S. House of Representatives that would have funded the government through February 16, 2018. As a result, the federal government started its shutdown at midnight Friday, January 19, 2018. The Senate may continue to convene and come to a resolution over the weekend.

In light of the shutdown, the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services prepared contingency plans as a result of a shutdown.

Here is a summary of the agency contingency plans:

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs (ASIA). The ASIA office stated that personnel excepted from the government shutdown are personnel that (1) protect human life, (2) protect federal property and (3) prevent harm.

Based on this criteria, within the ASIA office itself, they expect to retain 36 percent of their 215 employees.

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The Bureau of Indian Affairs expects to retain (not furlough) 42 percent of their 4,255 employees. The bureau listed their excepted services to include law enforcement, human services (child protection), Wildland Fire Management, Irrigation (Non-appropriated funds Fee-for-Service), and Safety of Dams (Early Warning system Operation). Personnel involved in transportation, irrigation and power revenue project are also excepted personnel.

Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). The Bureau of Indian Education expects to retain nearly all of their employees which is 96 percent of their 3,392 total employees. 

Health and Human Services (HHS) Contingency Plan Excerpts:

IHS Healthcare Services Open: Indian Health Service (IHS) – IHS will continue to provide direct clinical healthcare services as well as referrals for contracted services that cannot be provided through IHS clinics. More than 90 percent of the IHS staff will be retained during a shutdown (not furloughed).

Select services and policy offices closed in the event of a federal shutdown: IHS will be unable to provide funding to Tribes and Urban Indian health programs, and will not perform national policy development and issuance, oversight, and other functions, except those necessary to meet the immediate needs of the patients, medical staff, and medical facilities.

Additional Detail on Indian Health Service Exemptions –  9,151 IHS staff will be excepted (from furlough) for the provision of direct medical care. This number reflects FTE at all of the IHS service unit facilities where direct health care is provided. The contingency plan provides for health care to continue at all of these locations. While some preventive health services would continue to be provided (e.g., well child exams or prenatal visits), the predominant care provided would be treatment services for acute conditions or monitoring of chronic diseases for complications. The IHS annual appropriation is not large enough to provide the level of medical services that, for example, Federal employees receive through FEHB. IHS already defers needed medical services. In addition, most IHS facilities are in remote locations, where there are few if any other providers. As a result of these factors, IHS does not anticipate further reducing the number of inpatient/outpatient visits during a hiatus. While the furlough percentage is lower than in fiscal 1996, the lower percentage reflects changes in the way IHS does business, including significant reductions in the number of headquarters administrative staff.

ACF – ACF will not continue quarterly formula grants for Social Services Block Grant, Child Welfare Services, and the Community Service Block Grant programs. Additionally, new competitive grants, including Head Start and other social services programs, would not be made.

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