A question: My understanding is that essential employees still have to report to work, I thought they were also paid but recently heard they are not (though they will receive back pay when the budget passes). How long do we expect that essential employees can go without pay before they have to find other jobs? I’m not talking about the people we could do without but the first responders, military, etc. - people that actually make the government work and are worthwhile.
I think if the congress refuses to fund the ‘nonessential’ parts of the government, it would probably be possible for the chief executive to follow their lead by shuttering those departments and permanently laying off the employees.