By this time next week there’s a good chance that large portions of the federal government will be shut down. Funding for the federal government expires next Friday (September 30). If Congress doesn’t approve a continuing resolution or a short-term appropriation a government shutdown will begin on October 1.
Most public health folks in the know at the national level think the likelihood of a government shutdown is high.
Last week HHS released its contingency plan for a potential shutdown, including operational plans for each of their major agencies. For example, here is CDC’s contingency staffing plan.
CMS says they have sufficient funding for Medicaid to fund the first quarter of FY24 (thru December 31, 2023). Likewise, Indian Health Service received advance appropriations for the coming fiscal year so the majority of IHS-funded programs will remain funded and operational.
Some CDC staff are considered ‘essential workers’ and won’t be furloughed – but 59% of their workforce would be furloughed.
Note: When I was at ADHS we had 2 or maybe 3 federal government shutdowns. We always did an in-depth analysis of the consequences for the CDC funds we received – and there were always enough carry-forward funds to get us through the mess. WIC was always our biggest concern, but the shutdowns on our watch were never long enough to jeopardize WIC, but this one could be.