Confusion Reigns on Capitol Hill Over Shutdown

I’ve spent the morning talking to folks in the New Mexico congressional delegation about their fates in the event of a government shutdown at midnight tomorrow. A couple of things are clear: Most congressional staffers will lose their BlackBerries (the horror!) and be sent home. And Rep. Martin Heinrich will have to find a new place to take a shower.

Politico’s Mike Allen had this nugget in his “Playbook” this morning via Roll Call, reminding me of the fact that Heinrich is among those House members who sleep in their offices (scroll down past the immigration lead) and shower in the U.S. House gym.

MEMBERS’ GYM WOULD CLOSE – Roll Call’s Daniel
Newhauser: House Administration Committee
spokeswoman Salley Wood confirmed that the gym would close, stranding
the dozen or so Members who sleep in their offices and rely on the
facility’s showers.”

I’ve asked Heinrich’s staff if the congressman, selected as the most beautiful person on Capitol Hill by The Hill newspaper in 2009, has a hygiene contingency plan, but I haven’t heard back yet. Heinrich spends most weekends in New Mexico, so chances are he wouldn’t have to worry about where to take a shower until next week if the government shuts down Friday night and stays shut down. Members of the U.S. House and Senate, who continue to get paid in the event of a shutdown, will be required to return to work in Washington next week, I’m told.

On a more serious note, a couple of my sources tell me their offices are trying to decide which employees are considered critical, or “excepted,” and will keep working, and which ones won’t. Chances are good that congressional phones would go unanswered and district offices in New Mexico — where much of the public’s congressional casework is done – will be closed, said Jude McCartin, spokeswoman for Sen. Jeff Bingaman.

Marissa Padilla, Sen. Tom Udall’s spokeswoman, emailed me this morning to help me understand what happens to the staff:

“If there is a shutdown, the majority of Senator Udall’s staff, like the nearly 50,000 federal employees in NM, will be furloughed.
Our offices will be closed, and while we will do our best to help
constituents with emergencies, the agencies we call on to solve problems will
also be closed. Based on the legal guidance we’ve received from the
Senate, the senator’s constitutional duties to pass legislation continue
regardless of a shutdown, and we are determining which members of the
staff will be “excepted” from the furlough to meet that
responsibility.”

Those likely to be hit hardest on the Hill are the lowest-ranking staffers. They make the least money – often living paycheck to paycheck – and they would see their paltry paychecks evaporate. Whether that money would later be disbursed as back pay is unclear. It would take an Act of Congress, and spending money doesn’t seem to be en vogue on Capitol Hill – especially in the U.S. House – at the moment.

Eric Layer, spokesman for Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., emailed me with this take:

“It is important to remember that in the ’95 shutdown, there were agreements in place ahead of time that dealt with how to pay employees. This shutdown, which would affect all agencies, is a completely different situation. Any discussion on who might get paid down the road is purely hypothetical, because right now, there is simply no money with which to pay anyone. Mr. Pearce appreciates the sacrifices staff we willing to make, and has made it clear that our office functions as a single unit. No staff have raised concerns over this –everyone’s ready to work and to sacrifice as a team. The important point, though, is that any answer right now would be hypothetical, since there’s no money with which to pay anyone.”

As for what happens in New Mexico, my story in today’s paper takes a stab at answering some questions about basic services. Meanwhile, House and Senate leaders are headed back to the White House today to continue working on a budget deal that averts a shutdown.