Congress was unable to pass a Continuing Resolution to maintain existing funding levels for the federal government last night, putting a shutdown in place. It is not clear how long the shutdown will last, or even how specific the impacts will be in each state or each community. Last night the White House held a conference call with federal department heads to explain some of the impacts. National parks will close, housing and small business loans will stop being approved and many federal employees will either be furloughed or unpaid until a budget extension is passed, just to name a few. When it comes to specific local government programs like CDBG or transportation programs, the White House said the funding that was committed would still be there, but the staff who need to approve the spending for those projects may not be. So, the best answer to any questions is to reach out to your local federal department contacts directly to see who is working and how it will impact your federal projects directly.

Summer Minnick is the Director of Policy Initiatives and Federal Affairs. She can be reached at 517-908-0301 or sminnick@mml.org.