And likely will be ignored:
Administration officials now live in fear of a 19th-century law that could get them fired, penalized or even imprisoned if they make the wrong choices while the government is shut down.
The law is the Antideficiency Act, passed by Congress in 1870 (and amended several times), which prohibits the government from incurring any monetary obligation for which Congress has not appropriated funds.
In shutting down the government, most memos cite the law as the reason. The Government Accountability Office says employees who violate the Antideficiency Act may be subject to disciplinary action, suspension and even “fines, imprisonment, or both.”
CNBC has learned that in several executive branch departments, high-level staff members review individual decisions about what government activities to allow for fear of running afoul of the Antideficiency Act. One White House official said he has advised his employees not to check their email or cellphones. Under the act, even volunteering for government service is expressly prohibited.
In a memo to his department employees today, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew cited the law as the reason for reduced staffing.
Keep trimming that fat!
And the HORRORS! We might find that **GASP** those “Libertarian Anarchists” Were RIGHT!!!
Question: Who approved the National Park Service workers (who were furloughed because of the ZOMGFEDGOVSHUTDOWN2013!!!) to erect the “Barry-cades” at the WWII Memorial and other “parks” to keep people out?
It seems to me, unless the workers agreed to work for free, they had to get paid something (otherwise we’re talking slave labor, which is a WHOLE ‘nother can of worms), and since funding hadn’t been approved….
Just sayin’. 🙂