Government Funding Deal Would Prevent CBP Furloughs
We are only six days from the end of the 2020 fiscal year and Congress is trying to complete a funding plan that prevents a government shutdown on Oct. 1. The House has passed a continuing resolution to extend current levels of government funding through Dec. 11, and it awaits action in the Senate.It must be signed by the president by Sept. 30 to avoid a shutdown. Our sources on Capitol Hill tell us that there is little appetite for a shutdown so close to an election, so NTEU will continue to urge lawmakers to finish the continuing resolution – as well as full-year funding for the remainder of FY 2021 - as soon as possible.NTEU has been warning Congress for weeks that the COVID-19-related decrease in travel volume caused a huge reduction in user fee collections that fund 8,000 CBPO positions. The continuing resolution does not include supplemental funding to cover the shortfall, but it does include a provision to allow additional funding to agencies as needed in order to prevent furloughs, as long as the agency takes all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses. If signed into law, NTEU believes CBP can use this provision to protect CBPO jobs.