[U2DnBGFE]

Yeah I didn't know backend support personnel for Social Security would not get furloughed, so those people must be present in order to approve the batch FEDWIREs that have to go out (Social Security is distributed via direct deposit).

This is different from the IRS refunds... paper print and mail operations for the US Treasury are non-essential, and those are the people who print and mail out tax refund checks. I'm guessing the automatic tax refund system will still be operating without any personnel present, so if you electronically file your taxes you should still get a turnaround of 14 days or sooner, so long as you're getting direct deposit.

April happens to be a critical month for government payments that get settled on a quarterly basis. Having the government shut down now is a lot more painful now than at the dead of winter like when it happened the last time. It will get felt a lot more, and the last time this happened is was about 3 weeks of shutdown.

It really looks like the shutdown is happening tomorrow no-matter what happens. The stopgap measure is clearing the House now and the Senate is debating it on the floor, but this morning's press call from the White House indicated that Obama is dead-set on veto'ing this 1-week extension.


Seems like the White House wants Congress to pass a remainder budget for the completion of this FY. I guess with a shutdown, the pressure to compromise will dramatically escalate.