When I first wrote about sixth tour bidding in late September, I described it as a “ready or not” situation; bidding had snuck up on me quickly at less than two months into a one-year tour. But just two days after the cycle opened, everything ground to a halt. October 1 marked the start of the new fiscal year, and without an approved federal budget, the government shut down. And so, at least for now, this bid season has become another exercise in “hurry up and wait.”
Even though I knew a shutdown was likely, I still held onto a little hope that it might be avoided at the last minute. No such luck. Almost three weeks in, the government is still closed. Specific to bidding, I had poured time and energy into my prep—researching posts and assignments, reaching out to incumbents, getting organized—and I was genuinely excited to keep the momentum going. I even had a few interviews lined up. Then… pause.
One reason bidding stopped was so that non-furloughed employees wouldn’t have an advantage over those who are furloughed and not permitted to access government systems. But more broadly, bidding does not fall within the narrow scope of activities we’re allowed to perform right now.
When Congress does not enact appropriations, federal agencies lose the legal authority to spend money, triggering a government shutdown. Federal employees must immediately cease work that is not legally authorized to continue under the Antideficiency Act (or ADA, a federal law that prohibits agencies from spending money not appropriated by Congress).
In the absence of funding, agencies divide employees into two groups: excepted and non-excepted. Non-excepted employees are placed in furlough status and prohibited from performing their official duties until funds are appropriated. In contrast, excepted employees may continue working, but only to carry out narrowly defined activities such as protecting life and property or fulfilling constitutional obligations.
During a shutdown, the ADA is the reason agencies must stop “non-essential” operations and furlough non-excepted employees—because without appropriated funds, they are legally barred from continuing most work. Violations of the ADA can result in administrative or even criminal penalties.
The kicker is, even excepted employees do not receive pay during the shutdown, though they are required to report for duty and should (per a 2019 law) receive back pay once appropriations are restored.
At the beginning of this government shutdown, my husband — performing a domestic assignment remotely while posted overseas on my orders — was furloughed. I on the other hand was considered excepted, meaning my job was considered essential to protect life and property. Consular officers still need to assist U.S. citizens in trouble overseas, whether the U.S. government is shut down — and whether we’re being paid — or not.
If the shutdown isn’t resolved by tomorrow, it will become the second-longest U.S. government shutdown in history. The longest shutdown to date took place while we were in Australia: 35 days between December 2018 and January 2019. I wrote at length about it back then, bearing witness to the effect of the shutdown on our embassies and consulates around the world. Sadly, it all still holds true today.
Much digital ink has been spilled on the politics of the shutdown, but I fear the public won’t truly notice until Social Security checks stop, commercial planes start getting grounded, or a preventable food-borne outbreak kills thousands. Too many Americans have no idea how much of their daily safety, stability, and convenience depends on a functioning federal government—until it disappears. Military families receive sympathy and attention, because damn it, it’s unAmerican to not pay our troops.
But there’s a lot of other important work in the national interest happening around the globe too. Since the start of the shutdown, consular officers overseas have been visiting U.S. citizen prisoners, handling death cases, issuing emergency passports to travelers who need to return home, and providing many other consular services that the public expects from its government. And other examples abound, but I’m tired.
For the sake of missed paychecks, the continuity of overseas representation, and yes, my own bidding hopes, I can only hope Congress finds a way forward on funding the government soon.
Collecting Postcards 
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