At midnight on December 22, 2018, a partial government shutdown began when Congress and President Trump could not agree on an appropriations bill to fund the operations of the federal government for the 2019 fiscal year, or a continuing temporary resolution that would extend the deadline for passing a bill. The impasse occurred over President Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion in federal funds for a U.S.-Mexico border wall. As a result, nine executive departments, including EPA, must shut down. However, a December 20 message from Acting Administrator Wheeler noted that in the event of a shutdown, EPA will remain open the week of December 24th, but if the shutdown is still in place on December 28th, they will provide further instructions. Shutdowns negatively affect the morale of EPA employees, and all federal employees, due to the uncertainty involved. They are disruptive, hurt productivity, and are a tremendous waste of taxpayer dollars. In response to the current shutdown, EPN has created a fact sheet to explain the implications.
Note: The fact sheet has been updated.
Read full fact sheet: Effects of a Government Shutdown at EPA