When Congress was unable to agree to a deal to keep the federal government operational into the new fiscal year, the government officially shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
Despite this, TPS sister publication Overdrive reports trucking safety-regulatory bodies likely won’t see much impact, as Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) employees are expected to continue working.
Overdrive cites the Department of Transportation’s shutdown plan, which states FMCSA’s 1,084 employees are primarily funded by authorized contract authority and paid out of the Highway Trust Fund.
“All operations continue as normal with a lapse in annual appropriations, subject to the amount of liquidating cash the Agency has available,” DOT’s plan states.
DOT also reports there will be no significant agency activities that stop as a result of the shutdown, as “activities are funded with contract authority, offsetting collections, and advanced appropriations.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) likewise won’t see any employment reductions during the shutdown. Overdrive states all 574 NHTSA employees will continue working, citing DOT documents.
The Federal Aviation Administration will see the biggest impact of the shutdown, as 11,322 of FAA’s 44,829 employees will be furloughed.
