My book, “Proud to be American,” is on sale at Amazon and also can be ordered at most bookstores for $16.95.  It’s a 300-page paperback book with 68 articles organized into nine categories and with 70 pictures.  The book analyzes national, international and domestic problems and also critiques Main-Stream media and the far-left of the Democrat party.                              #           #           #            #

The Federal budget for this fiscal year (FY 2025) expires on October 1.  Since the new budget for the new fiscal year, which begins on October 1, won’t be ready by then, a Continuing Resolution (“CR”) is needed to continue funding the government until a new budget is ready. To date, a “clean” CR has been passed by the House of Representatives to fund the government for seven weeks at the same level that it was funded for the previous fiscal year.  The passage by the House only required 50% of the Congressmen and Congresswomen. The House CR was characterized as “clean” because it did not contain any extraneous provisions.  The Senate version of the CR requires approval by 60 Senators. There are only 53 Republican Senators (but only 52 voted for it) and Democratic Senators are asking for $1.5 trillion in new spending as their price for approving the CR and keeping the Federal government open.  This new spending is mostly to provide for medical care for illegal immigrants.  It is important to this issue to know that anyone, including illegal immigrants, receives free medical care (if they can’t afford to pay) in the Emergency Rooms in U.S. hospitals (so no one in America is left without medical care).

President Trump is hanging tough and has said he will not spend the $1.5 trillion that Senate Minority leader, Chuck Shumer, is demanding to approve the CR. What happens if the Federal government is shut down beginning on October 1? Here’s a list of the most important things that will happen come October 1 without a CR:

1. Federal government employees, including the military, do not get paid for the time that the Federal government is shut down but Congress usually pays them for all of their shutdown time off soon after the government opens back up.
2. During shutdowns, those employees deemed “essential” (about 2/3 of employees) are asked to continue to work without pay (though they eventually usually do get paid once the government re-opens).
3. Social Security checks continue to be mailed out uninterrupted.
4. The U.S. Post Office continues to deliver mail.
5. Medicare and Medicaid payments continue.

Government shutdowns create needless pain.  Currently, the Trump Administration is being held hostage because of the shutdown threat. There are proposals, as well as proposed legislation, to eliminate them.  Let’s hope that happens, but don’t hold your breath. As a former Federal employee, I recall with nostalgia my wonderful fully-paid-for  three-week government shutdown vacation in the mid-nineties.