The Bellevue Compass

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Politico put it aptly when they said: at least they’re talking about talking.”

The House remains in recess since last week, with Speaker Johnson saying that the House will come back into session once the government reopens. 

What’s Happening

Instead of taking another vote on stopgap funding, the Senate confirmed the largest number of en bloc nominees for President Trump, after changing the rules last month to allow nominees to be confirmed in groups, rather than individually. The rule change allowing for multiple confirmations at once was not without critique. While Republicans briefly debated allowing recess appointments over the summer months, they wisely decided against it—knowing that it would likely come back to bite them the next time they’re in the minority. This latest round of en bloc confirmations included former GOP candidate Herschel Walker and Sergio Gor, ex-director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, to be ambassadors to the Bahamas and India, respectively. (Via Politico)

In the midst of the shutdown, the Senate is still roaring on. Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to discuss everything from the Epstein files to senators’ phone calls, and President Trump’s plans for the national guard in Chicago. 

There’s a memo floating around on Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House—that says furloughed workers may not be eligible or entitled to back pay after the shutdown—despite the “Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019”, which was signed during the last 35-day shutdown in President Trump’s first term and widely interpreted as ensuring automatic compensation after future shutdowns. Speaking anonymously to Axios, a senior White House official stated that the conventional wisdom is that the law will automatically cover all furloughed employees. Still, the administration’s current view is that it does not. While Trump suggested that he would be able to select some furloughed federal workers to receive back pay while denying it for others, legislators on both sides of the aisle aren’t apt to agree. 

Another sticking point in the Senate—aside from healthcare subsidies and a yet-to-be-determined budget—is an interparty clash between Republicans over whether to pass emergency legislation to pay troops during the shutdown. The disagreement played out publicly on Tuesday. Speaker Johnson expressed willingness to pass a piece of legislation, but Senate Majority Leader Thune said, “The simplest way to end it [the shutdown] is not trying to exempt this group or that one or that group. It’s to get the government open.”

How Pennsylvania is Responding—and the Ongoing Impact: Predictably, the general assembly in states all over the country are not thrilled with how things are playing out in Congress—Pennsylvania is no exception. Notably, Representatives Lloyd Smucker (R-11), Dan Meuser (R-09), and John Joyce (R-13) requested that their pay be withheld for the duration of the shutdown. 

The WIC (Women, Infants, & Children) program is facing severe funding issues in Pennsylvania, with officials stating that they expect the funds to run out if the shutdown continues. Once the appropriated federal funding is spent, states can use their own money to fund WIC with the expectation that they’ll be reimbursed after the shutdown—but there’s a glaring issue. Moving funds around will be more difficult, given that the state’s budget impasse is ongoing. WIC recipients—almost 186,000 people in Pennsylvania—could see reduced benefits unless the shutdown and state budget impasse drags on.

Yesterday, Philadelphia’s congressional delegation, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) District 3, and Philadelphia AFL-CIO held a press conference to call on President Trump and Republicans to negotiate an end to the shutdown. The AFGE District 3 is part of a larger union that represents 30,000 federal employees in the state, with 9,000 to 12,000 of those members located in the Philadelphia area. Union leaders expressed concern and disagreement with Senator Fetterman’s support of the stopgap funding bills, with AFL-CIO’s president Danny Bauder calling it “playing footsie” with Republicans. 

Last Thursday, Mayor Cherelle Parker stated that the city of Philadelphia will face a “cash flow problem” if the shutdown and state budget issues are not resolved by December 1st. 

Another significant effect of the shutdown is the interruption of business as usual at airports across the country. Air traffic controllers—who are federal employees and required to work without pay—are calling out sick, causing major issues like closed towers and grounded flights.

🔥 What We’re Watching

Did You Know? According to a poll, Pennsylvania’s favorite Halloween costume is the bat costume! Plus, the nation’s (reportedly) first Halloween parade took place in Allentown in 1905!

Till next time,