The partial federal government shutdown is nearing its fourth week, with no signs of ending.
Both parties remain dug in: Republicans want to pass a “clean” stopgap continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open while Congress finishes the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills, while Democrats are demanding that an extension of Obamacare insurance premium subsidies and a reversal of recent Medicaid cuts are included in a CR.
The House, which passed a clean CR in late September, has not even reconvened this month, with House GOP leaders hoping to pressure Senate Democrats to approve their bill. But every time that Senate Republican leader John Thune (R-SD) has brought the bill up, all but three Democrats have voted to block it.
The absence of congressional action has all but left federal policymaking in the hands of President Trump, who has stretched his legal authority to the limit – and perhaps beyond the limit – to decide which federal personnel get paid (like the troops, for example) and which get laid off. Trump budget director Russell Vought has said he hopes to fire 10,000 more federal workers, on top of those who were RIFed or took buyouts earlier in the year. But at least one court has told the White House they can’t do that.
Meanwhile, the ramifications for the country continue to grow. Airports are seeing delays as air traffic control towers go unstaffed. Food stamps might run out early next month. Federal government contractors are beginning to feel the pinch. And the administration continues to cancel federal projects primarily in blue states.
While the parties’ leaders and their respective bases remain adamant not to compromise, a small but slowly growing corps of lawmakers are looking for a way out, via some compromise on the health care subsidies and funding. Some GOP House members are growing anxious about their extended recess. But it’s not been enough so far to move the needle.
The shutdown will end, at some point. But the effects may linger for a long time: federal agencies further depleted of staff and expertise, future presidents taking greater control of funding decisions that are supposed to be made by Congress, and continuing erosion of public faith in government.
ACRA is developing resources to help CRM firms understand the effects of the shutdown, including some FAQs posted earlier this month. If you are affected by the shutdown please let us know at info@acra-crm.org.
Sign the Letter to Support Renewing the Historic Preservation Fund
Even as the shutdown persists, there is important work to do for Congress – including continuing to support cultural resources management and historic preservation.
The Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) is the federal government’s primary vehicle for supporting preservation work at the state, local and Tribal levels. HPF funding comes from Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas royalties and goes to SHPOs and THPOs, enabling them to facilitate Section 106 reviews, administer the Historic Tax Credit, support National Register nominations, and many other tasks. The HPF also funds invaluable grant programs, like Save America’s Treasures, that enable all communities to tell their story.
But the HPF expired last year, meaning that no more funds are being deposited from OCS royalties.
A bipartisan group of House members has introduced legislation, H.R. 3418, that would reauthorize the program for 10 years and increase its annual deposit from $150 million to $250 million.
ACRA and its preservation partners have drafted a letter to the House, urging it to pass the bill. All CRM firms, as well as SHPOs, THPOs, state and local preservation organizations and others, can sign onto the letter.
Please join the growing coalition from across the country to urge Congress to renew the HPF and increase its size. Click here to read the letter and sign on NO LATER than October 27.
Join ACRA’s Federal Contracting Hot Topic Nov. 12
With new developments in federal contracting happening on what feels like a daily basis (see, for instance, changes to DOT’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program and revised federal procurement regulations for small businesses), keeping up with the news can be a tall order.
That’s why ACRA is hosting an ACRA Hot Topics session on the current federal contracting landscape on Wednesday, November 12.
The Hot Topics series give CRM practitioners the opportunity to participate in discussions and problem-solving for pressing issues facing the industry. Each session is moderated by a discussion leader to ensure all viewpoints are represented and all who wish to have the chance to have their voice heard.
On Nov. 12, join Nichole Atallah of PilieroMazza, ACRA Chief Lobbyist Andrew Goldberg, and Executive Director Amanda Stratton to discuss the latest on federal contracting.
All employees of ACRA member firms are welcome to join. The ACRA Hot Topics series is only open to ACRA members at this time. There may be opportunities for non-members to participate in future sessions.
Simply sign up here and we will send you a link to join the discussion!