NASA Ames Employees Brace for Federal Government Shutdown

With the Democratic and Republican leaderships still at an impasse about how to balance the budget, the midnight Friday deadline for a federal government shutdown draws nearer.

At Moffett Field, Mountain View's northerly federal neighbor, the Department of Defense and  have tried all week to prepare its employees for when or if something happens.

"Given the realities of the calendar, however, prudent management requires that we plan for an orderly shutdown should Congress be unable to pass a funding bill," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.

In the event of a government shutdown federal departments and agencies cannot spend any money except for specific duties.

In the case of NASA Ames, its 2,500 employees work on projects that range from astrophysics to the Kepler planet-hunting telescope, the airborne SOFIA observatory and exploration activities related to the International Space Station and human research. During a shutdown, only essential personnel will continue to work.

"All NASA employees, unless individually informed otherwise by your supervisors, are designated as non-excepted," said a notification sent Thursday by the director of human capital to employees, to which Mountain View Patch gained access. "This means that if funding lapses, you will be furloughed."

However, only employees who work with the International Space Station activities—"to protect the lives of the crew members on orbit and the safety and security of the Space Station"—will remain on the clock. Further, employees who work in the protection of satellites and data collection will continue to work, but those who work with satellites in development will not.

Military and essential law enforcement personnel also fall into the "excepted" employee category.

“Operations and activities that are essential to safety, protection of human life and protection of our national security, are ‘excepted’ from shutting down," said Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III in a statement.

“If there is a government shutdown beginning on Saturday, April 9, all DoD personnel should still report to work on their next scheduled duty day, beginning at their normal duty hours to receive additional instructions."  

The Army Reservists who train at Moffett Field "should refer to the DoD Contingency Guidance document and to their chain of command for more specific information," Lynn's statement continued.

Civilian personnel deemed to perform excepted activities will continue to work during the period of a shutdown. However, the non-excepted civilian employees for the military at Moffett Field will be furloughed and will only receive pay for work down prior to shutdown.

All federal employees have been directed to the Office of Personnel Management's frequently ask questions during a government shutdown.

Excepted employees, or those who report to work without pay during a shutdown are reimbursed retroactively, according to the OPM.

Furloughed workers, however, are not paid and not permitted to work, and they only receive back pay if Congress specially approves it. Although federal agencies do not have the authority to pay their employees during a shutdown, all workers continue to be covered under the Federal Employee Health Benefits program.

Military retirees and annuitants are not paid from appropriated funds and would continue to receive benefits. Inpatient and essential outpatient care in U.S. Department of Defense treatment facilities would also continue, including at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Judi Cheary said.

The hospital will remain open and the facility's clinics will function regardless of the budget negotiations, she added.

Around the Bay Area, visitors will be denied entry to national parks, and paper tax returns will be thrust into limbo if Congress fails to reach an appropriations agreement by the end of the week.

President Barack Obama said during a speech Wednesday that a government shutdown this weekend would have "real effects on everyday Americans," including those waiting for tax rebates. Mortgages and other loans could be jeopardized, the president said.

Alcatraz Island, Fort Point and Muir Woods would be among the National Park Service facilities closed in the event of a shutdown, spokeswoman Alexandra Picavet said.

Gated parking lots and visitor centers would be closed, and access to park areas denied, according to the Department of the Interior, which oversees the national parks.

Visitors using overnight campgrounds and other accommodations would be given 48 hours to make alternative arrangements.

The Park Service would retain just enough employees to protect life and property on public lands, meaning some law enforcement, emergency services and firefighting personnel would be retained, the interior department said.

The U.S. Postal Service would not be affected by the shutdown, because it is not funded with any tax dollars, San Francisco postal district spokesman James Wigdel said.

Stamps and service fees fund all of the post office's activities, he said, and the department will continue to accept passport applications, even if the government shuts down.

—Additional reporting by Bay City News Service