美国政府关门

nullnullThe government shutdownnullnullWarming up: Let’s check how much do you know: Questions on government shutdown 1. What causes a shutdown? null What causes a shutdown?  Under the Constitution, Congress must pass laws to spend money. If Congress can't agree on a spending bill支出议案— or if, in the case of the Clinton-era shutdowns, the president vetoes 否决it — the government does not have the legal authority to spend money. 2. Why can't Congress agree? nullThe Republican-controlled House has passed a spending bill that maintains spending levels but does not provide funding to implement the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The Democratic Senate insists that the program be fully funded and that Congress pass what they call a "clean" CR.3. Could government agencies ignore the shutdown? 3. Could government agencies ignore the shutdown? nullUnder a federal law known as the Anti-Deficiency Act反超支法, it can be a felony重罪 to spend taxpayer money without an appropriation from Congress. 4. When would a shutdown begin?  When the fiscal year财政年度ends at midnight Monday（Sep.30th）. Most federal workers would report to work Tuesday（Oct.1st）, but unless they're deemed "essential," they would work no more than four hours on shutdown-related activities before being furloughed暂时解雇，放假. 5. When would the shutdown end?  5. When would the shutdown end? 5. When would the shutdown end? Immediately after the president signs a spending bill. As a practical matter, it could be noon the following day before most government offices that were shut down would reopen their doors. 6. How many times has the government shut down in the past? null Since 1977, there have been 17 shutdowns, according to the Congressional Research Service国会研究服务处. 7. How long do shutdowns usually last? 7. How long do shutdowns usually last?  7. How long do shutdowns usually last?  Most last no more than three days. Some last less than a day. 8. When was the longest shutdown in history? The longest was also the most recent: from Dec. 16, 1995, through Jan. 5, 1996. That's 21 days. 9. What's the difference between a shutdown and a debt crisis?  9. What's the difference between a shutdown and a debt crisis? 9. What's the difference between a shutdown and a debt crisis? In a shutdown, the government lacks the legal authority法定权利 to spend money on non-essential 不重要的services. In a debt crisis, the government is mandated to受命 spend money — but doesn't have the legal authority to borrow the money to spend it. 10. Will I still get my mail?  10. Will I still get my mail?  10. Will I still get my mail?  Yes. The U.S. Postal Service functions as an independent business unit. 11. Can I get a passport?  Maybe, but hurry. The Department of State国务院says it has some funds outside the annual congressional appropriation年度国会拨款. "Consular operations领事业务domestically and overseas will remain 100% operational as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations," the department says. 12. Can I visit national parks?  null12. Can I visit national parks? 12. Can I visit national parks? No. The National Park Service says day visitors will be told to leave immediately, and entrances will be closed. 13. What about campers already in the parks? They will be given two days to leave. 14. Will Washington museums be open? 14. Will Washington museums be open?  14. Will Washington museums be open?  The Smithsonian, the National Zoo and the Holocaust 大屠杀Museum would all be closed. Private museums, such as the Newseum新闻博物馆, the Spy Museum间谍博物馆and Mount Vernon, would remain open. Rule of thumb经验法则: If it's usually free, it's probably closed. 15. What about the National Archives国家档案馆? 15. What about the National Archives国家档案馆? 15. What about the National Archives国家档案馆? All archives and most presidential libraries will be closed, unless they're operated by a private foundation. 16. Will the District of Columbia shut down?  The district does not have complete autonomy自治 and relies on an appropriation from Congress to operate. So during the shutdowns in the 1990s, trash went uncollected, and many city departments closed. 17. Would the government continue to enforce施行 wage and hour laws? 17. Would the government continue to enforce施行 wage and hour laws?  17. Would the government continue to enforce施行 wage and hour laws?  The laws will still be in effect, but the Department of Labor's劳工部 Wage and Hour Division工资处 would suspend operations. 18. Will disaster response紧急救灾反应机构be affected?  nullNo. However, all "non-disaster" grants 拨款— such as state and local preparedness programs — would be postponed, the Department of Homeland Security says. 19. Would a shutdown put the brakes延缓 on implementing实施 the Affordable Care Act, or "Obamacare?" No. The state-run exchanges for the uninsured would open as scheduled Tuesday. "The marketplaces will be open on Tuesday, no matter what, even if there is a government shutdown," President Obama said Friday.No. The state-run exchanges for the uninsured would open as scheduled Tuesday. "The marketplaces will be open on Tuesday, no matter what, even if there is a government shutdown," President Obama said Friday. 20. Why not?  nullLike Social Security社会安全保障or Medicaid医疗补助, Obamacare is a permanent entitlement永久权利 that isn't subject to annual funding by Congress. "Many of the core parts of the health care law are funded through mandatory强制的 appropriations拨款 and wouldn't be affected," Gary Cohen, the Health and Human Services Department卫生和福利部official overseeing监督 the health care rollout启动，开始, said last week. 21 How many federal employees would be furloughed?  nullnullJ. David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government employees, said he expects the number will be 800,000 to 1 million, out of 2.1 million federal employees. 59% of non-defense government employees would continue to work. 22. Why do some federal employees continue to work during a shutdown? nullThe law — or at least, the Justice Department's interpretation of it — contains exemptions免除 for several classes of employees: The biggest exemption is for employees necessary to protect public health, safety or property. Employees necessary for the president to carry out his constitutional responsibilities are exempt. Finally, employees whose salaries are paid from sources outside an annual spending bill can still get paid and report to work. 23. Who decides which employees work and which go home? nullEach agency is responsible for coming up with its own contingency plan应急计划, based on guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management. Those plans are then sent to the White House for review审查. 24. Would the president be paid during a shutdown? nullYes. The president's $400,000 salary is mandatory spending. If furloughs begin to affect the government's ability to process payroll, his paycheck could be delayed. 25. What about White House staff?  nullSome high-ranking presidential appointees are exempt from the Annual and Sick Leave Act of 1951, which means they can essentially be made to work unpaid overtime. Also, any employee necessary for the president to carry out his constitutional duties would be exempt. 26. And the president's personal aides? nullThe White House has 90 staffers who work in the residence. During a shutdown, 15 of them would stay on the job. 27. Would Congress continue to be paid during a shutdown? nullYes. The 27th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified被批准的 in 1992, holds that "No law, varying改变 the compensation for弥补 the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect." Intended to prevent Congress from voting itself a raise, it also protects members from a pay cut. 28. What effect would a shutdown have on the economy? nullEconomists say even a short shutdown — of three or four days — would begin to shave decimal points off economic growth. A sustained shutdown of three or four weeks "would do significant economic damage," economist Mark Zandi said. 29. What about the stock market? The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 3.7% during the 1995-96 government shutdown, according to S&P Capital IQ. Stocks quickly rebounded after the government got back to work, rising 10.5% nullnull