10-01-25 Part One - The Government: Shutdown

In part one of Red Eye Radio with Gary McNamara and Eric Harley, "Sorry folks..the park's closed..the moose out front shoulda told ya" .. Vacation.

Feels kinda weird but yeah..for the first time in five years, the Government is officially closed for at least two weeks as of midnight this morning. The big question on everyone's mind is "will this affect my social security and healthcare?" The short answer is .. no. Roughly 30% of federal employees are on furlough and some may not be returning to work when the Government opens. Basically a government shutdown happens when Congress can neither pass all 12 appropriations bills needed to fund the government, nor pass a continuing resolution which typically keeps funding levels static while lawmakers hustle to finish their work on spending bills. Programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid will continue, along with the Postal Service, Veterans' Affairs hospitals and clinics, and Immigration and Border Patrol security activities, among others. Federal employees will likely go without pay, however, and a string of agencies will see their services hampered by furloughs, like the IRS and Small Business Administration. Housing programs may also see a delay in rental assistance and loans.

Also on today's show, a yelling match between Sen. Josh Hawley and a former Biden administration official broke out in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing over the need for "two spirit" safe spaces to combat gun violence and Pete Hegseth's ambitious 10-point plan to transform the military.

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