Shutdown Narrowly Avoided With Passage of CR

MYTH: The federal government is unable to make monthly annuity payments to federal retirees when the government is shut down. REALITY: During a government shutdown, federal retirees under the CSRS and FERS retirement systems still receive their scheduled annuity payments on the first business day of the month. A shutdown does not prevent monthly annuity payments from being made.

that the agency’s information technology (IT) systems need modernization and plans to seek funding from Congress to do so. The IT upgrades would include the development of a “digital employee record,” digitized and improved federal retirement programs and processing, a “modern human capital data and analytics platform,” and a new website with improved user functionality.

OPM Director Kiran Ahuja indicated that NAPA’s study “unequivocally affirms the need for a strong, independent and well-resourced OPM.” She added that she looks forward to working with congressional leaders to “build upon the NAPA study recommendations” and improve the agency’s support for federal employees and agencies in service to the public.

Originally published in March 2021, the NAPA study was the result of a year-long effort pursuant to a provision in the fiscal year 2020 defense authorization bill.

The legislation also blocked any implementation of the previous administration’s OPM reorganization proposal—which served as a catalyst for the study—until 180 days after the release of the report. NARFE contributed its views to the development of the report and played the leading role in advancing the legislative language that approved the study.

The agency’s response to the NAPA study was prepared over a six-month period by seven working groups of OPM staff and guided by a steering committee of senior agency officials.

—BY SETH ICKES, GRASSROOTS ASSISTANT

On September 30, congressional leaders and the White House came to an agreement on a continuing resolution (CR) that averted a government shutdown. The CR funds the government at fiscal year 2021 (FY 2021) levels through December 3, 2021. The beginning of the fiscal year, October 1, was the hard deadline to fund various federal agencies—a deadline Congress consistently brushes up against. The bill also includes funding for natural disaster relief and resettlement of Afghan refugees.

The days leading up to the passage of the CR mere hours before midnight on October 1 were not without drama. In the current Senate where the parties are evenly split 50-50, funding bills, such as a CR, require bipartisan support due

to the 60-vote threshold of the filibuster. Original attempts to pass the bill included a measure to suspend the debt ceiling, a limit that Congress sets on the amount of debt the federal government can incur. A CR bill that included action on the debt ceiling passed the House earlier in the week, but attempts to advance this measure failed in the Senate. As of press time, Congress passed a small increase to the debt limit that should be enough to pay obligations until around December 3, all but ensuring there will be another flurry of congressional activity as the new deadline approaches.

The CR was signed into law by President Biden on September 30. At that time, the House had passed all 12 of its appropriations bills, while the Senate had yet to debate any of them.

—BY JOHN ROBERT AYERS, POLICY AND PROGRAMS ASSISTANT