Defense
Shutdown could spell trouble for contractors
Contracts not related to exempt activities or funded through annual appropriations could be halted.
Pay & Benefits
Lawmakers push retroactive pay for furloughed feds
Bill would guarantee reimbursement for all employees at the end of a shutdown.
Oversight
Nuclear agency expected to stay open during any government shutdown
Contractors and federal employees would continue to work, Energy Department says.
Oversight
Muted abortion response speaks volumes about budget talks
The GOP reaction suggested a shrugging acceptance of one more round of talking points before the final brokering.
Oversight
Cantor says short-term funding bill likely needed after any deal
House majority leader says 'bridge' is a possibility to keep government from shutting down.
Oversight
Would you have been furloughed?
Federal employees sent updates Friday on their status and that of other employees in their agencies.
Oversight
Where the cuts would have come: agency-by-agency furlough counts
Estimates show large numbers of employees would not have been permitted to work if government had shut down.
News
Reid: We have a deal -- almost
Parties have agreed on a number; Republican insistence on blocking federal funding for Planned Parenthood is the only obstacle, Senate leader says.
Pay & Benefits
Feds vent shutdown fears and frustration at town hall meeting in Va.
Rep. Jim Moran warns angry residents that a shutdown could stretch into May if agreement is not reached soon.
Oversight
Brink of a shutdown: How did it get to this point?
Those Americans who disdain government in the abstract are about to have their contempt put to the test.
Oversight
Political insiders view shutdown as likely
As of Thursday afternoon, Capitol Hill operatives think both sides still had reason to hold their ground.
Pay & Benefits
Pocket Change
A rundown on the (limited) changes in the retirement benefits world this year.
Defense
Gates: Troops could face delay in full pay for April
Defense secretary in Iraq war zone tells service members that size of their next check depends on duration of a government shutdown.
Pay & Benefits
Agencies told to begin furlough notifications
OMB has instructed agencies to begin notifying employees who would be furloughed if the government shuts down.
News
From Nextgov.com: Furloughed feds cannot telework or use BlackBerrys
In a shutdown, Hill staffers can say goodbye to government-issued laptops, cellphones and other devices, new guidelines say.
Defense
Military and essential civilians would be paid after shutdown
Defense contractors would be paid out of funds already obligated, Pentagon officials say.
Oversight