The government shutdown has
entered its third day, with a vote planned for Noon Eastern Time today (Monday)
to end debate and move forward to a stop-gap funding bill. The shutdown appears
to loom on a group of roughly 20 Senators who have yet to find compromise and
agree to vote for a spending measure, with some Senators expressing optimism
Sunday that the shutdown would be short-lived. Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary
Sonny Perdue said in a statement that “USDA is committed to safeguarding life
and property through the critical services” provided by the federal agency.
Those include food inspections through the Food Safety and Inspection Service,
import controls, core nutrition programs, and keeping Rural Development offices
open in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. USDA says crop insurance services
will continue, and indemnity payments will continue to be made. The U.S. Forest
Service will continue emergency and defense preparedness, including fire
suppression. Select services through the Agricultural Marketing Service will
continue, and the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations will be
supported and maintained.
The complete list is
available here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAOC/bulletins/1d2c8ddWelcome
