Easing Pain of Shutdown Took Pressure Away

Washington Post: “About 75 percent of the funding for federal agencies actually got approved in September, on time, including such critical entities as the Pentagon, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration. And then Congress moved the deadline for this year’s funding for the remaining agencies till four days before Christmas.”

“This meant that, once the shutdown started, the most important services provided by the federal government — soldiers’ salaries, veteran benefits, Social Security checks — went on, business as usual.”

“And the services that closed — federal museums, services at national parks, delayed tax refunds — have slowly shuttered over the holiday season, when the public was not paying much attention, and will continue over the next month.”