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Marty Nohe, owner of a family-owned electronics store and distribution center in Woodbridge, Virginia, said his employees have asked him why business has been so quiet.
“I said, ‘Don’t you watch the news?'” he said.
He said he’s seen foot traffic drop at least twice in the weeks since Congress nearly missed a deadline to avoid a government shutdown in 2023.
“There’s no question about it. Even discussing closures will result in a noticeable change in foot traffic. It’s painful. We have fixed costs. We can’t just reduce the hours our employees work.”2 Noe, standing close to 10,000 feet, told CBS News. Appliance showrooms are located along the main road near Starbucks and some large hotels.
His 45-employee business, run by his family since 1985, relies on purchases by federal officials and local residents with ties to the Department of Defense, the FBI facility in Quantico, and Washington, D.C.
Those purchases could start to dry up next week if Congress can’t get the job done. And Nohe knows that.
For the third time since September, Congress is trying to avoid a partial government shutdown that could force tens of thousands of federal workers to be furloughed, disrupt military pay and shock the stock market. I’m excited. To avoid a government shutdown in late 2023, Congress approved a novel plan to split government spending into two installments over two deadlines. Some federal agencies have been given funding through Jan. 19, including transportation, agriculture and water programs. The remaining agencies, including the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, State Department, and Congress itself, are currently given funding through February 2nd.
Senate and House Negotiators announced some progress on Sunday., a $1.59 trillion compromise framework that will guide final negotiations between now and the deadline. President Biden welcomed the news in a statement, saying, “The bipartisan funding framework agreed to by Congressional leaders brings us one step closer to preventing an unnecessary government shutdown and protecting our nation’s critical priorities.” Stated.
Negotiators and Congressional leaders acknowledged that more work is needed to complete a deal, especially with narrow margins in the House and Senate.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement that Democrats have “made clear” to House Speaker Mike Johnson that they do not support including “poison pill” provisions in the 12 spending bills.
After a year in which even a small number of dissenters have plagued spending negotiations, Johnson insisted the deal was worthy of support, writing in a letter that it was “the best budget deal Republicans have achieved in more than a decade.” It is desirable.”
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Virginia Democrat who took office in 2019 amid a preliminary government shutdown, said split deadlines made predicting outcomes complicated and raised concerns for federal employees and small businesses. He said he was concerned about the situation.
“I have a constituency that I’m very aware of and deeply concerned about,” Spanberger said. “However, there is confusion about the time frame and when the impact will be felt.”
Spanberger said the congressional district saw a spike in applications for unemployment benefits during the 2018-2019 government shutdown. He said food banks were at risk of strain this month as workers who may be furloughed may turn to charities for food, while others may reduce donations. He said that
Republican and Democratic leaders have developed muscle memory of late in their debates about government shutdowns. Both sides spent much of 2023 accusing the other of intransigence. And both parties have emphasized the pain of a prolonged stalemate that deprives federal workers of paychecks.
“There’s going to be a lot of collateral damage and a lot of collateral costs. It’s not really going to save you money. It’s actually going to cost you more because of the disruption,” said Sen. John Cornyn, Republican of Texas. Closing down harms innocent people and creates unnecessary numbers.” Uncertainty in our economy. ”
A representative from the Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS employees, EPA employees and National Park Service employees, said federal employees union members are nervously awaiting action from Congress. Union president Doreen Greenwald told CBS News that members “have bitter memories of racking up credit card debt and taking out expensive short-term loans to survive the devastating shutdown of 2018 and 2019.” “Yes. It may be difficult to accumulate the effects of rain.” Provides a day’s worth of funding if your budget is stretched to cover rising costs. ”
A spokesperson for the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents about 750,000 federal employees, including veterans hospitals across the country, told CBS News that government unions are urging Congress not only to avoid a government shutdown, but also to “improve additional cuts.” “We are requesting that the closure be avoided without creating an emergency situation.” Create a finance commission to attack Social Security and other programs important to working people. ”
The union even has printable protest posters on its website, including a sign that reads “Congress, do your job, stop the shutdown.”
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