The State of Alaska will try to minimize impacts to Alaskans in the event of a federal government funding gap, said Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Tuesday. The federal government runs out of spending authority on Saturday at midnight, if Congress and the president are not able to resolve their spending differences.
Dunleavy instructed state departments to evaluate federal programs administered by the state and review potential impacts to Alaskans.
Dunleavy said he is committed to continuing essential government services funded by the federal government and administered by the State where it has the authority to do so. Alaska would seek reimbursement following a shutdown.
The longest previous federal shutdown was 34 days. When there was a shutdown during President Trump’s Administration, Trump took steps to keep programs going important to Alaska. During the Obama Administration, there were no such allowances for the state, and Obama even shut down hunting on federal lands during hunting season because the president closed parks and access to federal lands.
The State of Alaska is prepared to continue state-administered federally funded programs for that 34-day length of time. If a federal government shutdown were to continue beyond that timeframe, the State will reevaluate the situation if necessary, and prioritize programs that most directly impact the life, health, and safety of Alaskans, Dunleavy said.
The State of Alaska administers many programs on behalf of the federal government. Federal programs that are mandatory by law, authorized outside of the annual appropriations process and have existing carry-forward funds, or classified by the federal administration as “excepted” due to life, health and safety implications would continue to operate during a shutdown.
These categories include programs such as Medicaid and federal air traffic control. Further guidance from the federal government on program impacts is expected in the coming days.
Although the federal government is not required by law to reimburse states for expenses incurred during a federal government shutdown, reimbursement has occurred following every previous shutdown.
Approximately 4,700 state executive branch positions are at least partially federally funded. Employees in these positions would see no disruption in their pay and will continue to report to work.
A small number of federal employees work within state departments. Their status would be determined by the guidance from the federal agency that employs them.
The Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development has developed a FAQ specifically to address Unemployment Insurance questions associated with the potential government furlough for federal employees.
“Unstable Government”…Nope, no oxymorons to be found there…🤦♂️ Unstable and unreliable news media has been preparing us for unstable guv’ment for decades now…
As long as the RONG party is trying to create a fiasco we will have unstable federal government operations
The longer the shut down the better as FJB can’t get much done to screw us more.
Oh YES he can!! YOU JUST WAIT AND SEE!!! I’ve been saying for months ‘this can’t get any worse’. And I’ve been proven WRONG!!!! How many times can I say that I’ll never say that again?
Spot on.
I’ll be Alaska doesn’t get reimbursed when this happens.
Guaranteed.
Why? Because that’s money that could be sent to a country we have 0 ties to, is not part of NATO, and continues to provoke Russia AND now Poland.
Just wait. Mark my words. We will not be reimbursed. We are a republican state. So screw us right?
In 2018/2019, Mr Trump thought it was a good idea to send a few million Fed workers home on a month-long paid vacation because he thought he’d win a Mexico border wall funding dispute by doing so. Oops, that didn’t work out so well…and the public paid dearly for it.
100% inaccurate.
The GOP will cave. They always do.
The GOP will cave because their constituents are way more dependent on Fed systems and entitlements than they would like to admit. They press the loss & their “leaders” cave.
W-all Americans are more dependent upon Government than what is healthy for our nation. Just in Alaska when Governor Dunleavy proposed his first budget in February crowds of Alaskans including our local community leadership threw back their heads and chanted Recall Dunleavy! Don’t forget the Democrats cave into the people as much as Republicans do. No body wants to be the bad guy. Dunleavy and his then budget director what’s her name at least tested the water and took a risk how Alaskans would react. Just as then Rep Spolnolz said his proposal would be politically unpopular and never would supported by voters. So here we are today still dependent upon government.
Go ahead, do it! Shut it down! 6 months! Then pass out pink slips to all of those who are missed. First start with federal. And then go to the state. And if necessary, local. There’s dead wood everywhere in all occupations. I’ve seen it most everywhere I’ve worked. And every now and then, ya gotta get rid of the log jamb.
go
Milk the cow! I wonder when the babies will stop suckling!
Shut it down! We will adapt!
It will cost us billions in shutdown costs, missed services and startup costs, but hell yeah Ginny, let’s stick it to the man.
Stick it to which man? The foreign enemy running our government is running us into the ground. Shut them down! No more money for the foreign enemy.
According to Politico, Biden’s price is the ending of the impeachment inquiries against him. Or the shutdown will go on. If this is really the case, it just makes it all the more imperative for the impeachment inquiry to go on so we can get to the bottom of all of the accusations. If the GOP caves on this, it could mean the end of the country as we know it.
Good idea Gov. Dunleavy. I wish more people would give themselves permission to be fearlessly forward thinking.
A 12 month interruption of SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and Section 8 housing stipends would be far more positive for the Alaska economy than everything done by Walker and Dunleavy in their 12 years of total efforts to revive or add to our economy by the end of the Dunleavy administration. That would be all the more true if any Alaskan missing these welfare payments is offered a free one-way ferry ticket to Bellingham. We can start this boon to the state economy right now by eliminating the so-called hold-harmless PFD provision that reduces the PFD for working Alaskans and their children.
Wow. I don’t even know what to say.
At least twenty years ago you’d think Alaskan leadership would have/should have/could have shrink its own local government, reduced local government spending, and got more people off a government living into more private businesses. As well as held educators and health care workers accountable so people today were healthier and more independent.
They should hold you accountable.
Shutdown = Free fully paid vacation for Federal Workers. No wonder 95% of Federal Workers are Democrats. They vote for the government sponsored gravy train knowing they can’t be fired from their cushy meaningless jobs as the rest of the country goes down the toilet.
Meanwhile federal contractors and their reliant families don’t get paid. The hard working blue collar folks who are forced to turn to federal contract work as the government takes control of more of the private sector. Every day that the shutdown lasts is another day without pay for them that is not reimbursed because contractors aren’t protected.
Glad to hear the Governor being proactive and stepping forward to protect the most vulnerable victims of Bidens ignorance causing all the chaos in the first place.
Not all recipients of a government paycheck are guilty of taking advantage of a free paycheck.
There are thousands employed through the military and receiving fair compensation for their disabilities for doing so.
This is just a sideshow to deflect and blame the GOP for their attempt at holding The Mafia Boss accountable for his now decades long history of corruption. Devon Archer in his interview with Tucker Carlson has some pretty strong opinions regarding the Bidens influence peddling.
It is a very eyeopening interview with some real evidence of the entire Biden family involvement in foreign corruption scam. He is regretting He ever got wrapped up in the business with Hunter after seeing where the Bidens were headed. It cost him dearly not realizing early on what Joes intentions were. Hunters Uncle Jimmy is a real piece of work. It was a real sham that Joe was working on since 2000 when He was pushing hard for his run for President.
My guess is the feds may not reimburse the State of Alaska this time around for costs since we are not a professional panhandler like Zilensky who needs reimbursed from the millions paid to the Bidens or an illegal voter crossing the southern border collecting $2200/month just to vote in the 2024 selection.
I can’t believe Biden is shutting the government down. He must really hate Americans. If we had Trump, not only would we be not shutting down, but each American would probably receive a hand written check from Mr. Trump like we did during covid to boost the economy.
I agree that the GOP will no doubt cave, they’re just trying to save face in the process!
However one chooses to view the budget process in DC it’s very difficult if not totally impossible to ignore how corrupt the process is considering all the earmarks and other typically flawed spending in the process!
Alaska will quickly become a ‘ghost town’ without federal spending whether they’re “pass through monies” or whatever names one uses for the funding!
For Anchorage, The problem is with OUR Assembly.. Do they hear this??..Their dependence on Federal money to supplement the homeless and all their other ????projects..Hope they DON’T come crying to us for the $$$..they expected us to pay for.. We’ve got our own personal problems and don’t belch thinking we have all the $$$, with the PFD.. that’s ours to deal with our personal finances and getting out of temporary debt.
You need an exit strategy.
Lol. That’s nothing. Haven’t you heard? Russia wants Alaska back, and they might as well take North America. Golly. Good thing Alaska has the Birthright owner of Russia living here. Word is not to make that one “See Red”…lol. don’t believe me, ask ol Sarah Palin how that worked out for her?
Oh. Right. She ran away and is hiding in NY.lol.
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