Gov't Shutdown delaying payments to families of fallen military personnel

A Maryland foundation is stepping into the breach to cover death benefits for the families of fallen service members that were suspended during the government shutdown — including the families of five killed in Afghanistan over the weekend.
In what veterans call an outrageous slight after the ultimate sacrifice, the shuttered federal government is withholding a $100,000 payment, known as the death gratuity, that is normally wired to relatives of fallen service members.
It's typically sent to families within three days to help cover funeral costs or travel to meet the flag-draped coffins of their loved ones.
"It is upsetting because my husband died for his country, and now his family is left to worry," said Ashley Peters of Springfield, Mo., whose husband, Jeremy, was a special agent assigned to the Army's 5th Military Police Battalion and was among the five killed. "My husband always said if something happened to him we would be taken care of."
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No fishing report this week for New Melones as it remains closed from gov't shutdown

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Letter to the Speaker from District 4 rep Tom McClintock re:shutdown

Let Us Reason Together

October 1, 2013

 

 

Mr. Speaker:

 

This shutdown should not have happened.  

 

The framers of our Constitution designed our system to have tension and differences between the two houses of the Congress.  That’s a given.  

 

But after the House and Senate have exercised their best judgment, they are then supposed to then sit down and negotiate out their disagreements.  This is the way our bicameral system has worked for 225 years.  It is the only way that it CAN work.  

 

That hasn’t happened this time.  This time, the House proposed a compromise – nearly two weeks ago – to keep the government open and to defund Obamacare in order to address the epidemic of dropped health care policies, massive rate increases, and job cut-backs that we are now seeing as a result of its implementation.

 

Yosemite closed for its 123rd birthday

Yosemite National Park, closed for its own birthday

While many hoped to celebrate the 123rd anniversary of Yosemite National Park - they will find the park is closed due to Gov't shutdown.

Yosemite and all the US’s national parks, monuments, and zoos were closed at midnight last night, after Congress failed to pass a new budget.

Government shutdown - will the military pay?

According to many news sites the shutdown will not affect military VA pay for the month of October, but will extend into November if the standstill lasts more than two to three weeks.

However, Obama has claimed he will sign a last-minute bill authorizing paychecks for troops and some Defense Department workers and contractors if the government shuts down.

It has yet to be verified if Obama has indeed signed the bill which the House-passed, ensuring the military is paid. 

KCRA - CNN - Shutdown, 800,00 Americans will not receive pay, economy cost $1 billion per week

WASHINGTON (CNN) —The game of chicken failed. Neither side blinked. Now millions will pay the price.

Americans watched a colossal failure by Congress overnight and the shutdown of their government.
For weeks, the House and the Senate blamed and bickered, each claiming they're standing up for what the public wants.
In the end, it led to the one outcome nobody wanted -- one that will stop 800,000 Americans from getting paid and could cost the economy about $1 billion a week.
"Agencies should now execute plans for an orderly shutdown due to the absence of appropriations," the Office of Management and Budget said in a note it sent to federal employees.
This is the first time the government has shut down in nearly 18 years. The last time it did, the stalemate lasted 21 days during the Clinton administration.
Now, the Republican-controlled House and the Democrat-controlled Senate will try to see if they can reconcile their two versions of the spending plan at the center of the debate. So far, each has refused to budge on how to fund the government in the new fiscal year that started Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.kcra.com/news/politics/senate-rejects-house-spending-bill-again/-/11797268/22205926/-/mrmrocz/-/index.html#ixzz2gTujMlQM

CNN - get up to speed in 20 questions

(CNN) -- Let's start with the obvious question: Will the government shut down this week? Most likely.

Republicans and Democrats can agree on that. It's everything else that has them bickering and blaming. And unless they strike a deal on a spending bill Monday, the government will begin closing shop at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

After weeks of congressional back-and-forth, the ball is now in the Senate's court. It meets at 2 p.m. Monday to decide what to do next.

A shutdown, while likely, isn't a foregone conclusion. The deadline is midnight -- and one day can be a long time on Capitol Hill.

Here's a quick Q&A to get you caught up on what happened over the weekend and what to look forward to Monday.

 http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/politics/government-shutdown-up-to-speed/