Pope: state preparing for possible federal shutdown
Budget Director Art Pope said North Carolina is already preparing in case there is another partial federal shutdown in January. However, he tells lawmakers the legislature may need to have a special session if the next stoppage is a long one.
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"We are all hopeful there will not be a repeat of the October shutdown, but it is absolutely proper and prudent for the General Assembly and the governor to plan for a potential shutdown in the future," Pope said.
Among the reasons for the disruption at the state level, Pope said, was a lack of direction from the federal government. In particular, at the time of the October shutdown, there were few federal guarantees about what kind of state spending would be reimbursed once the federal government fully reopened.
Since then, Pope said, Congress has put that direction into law. However, the governor does not have the authority to spend money absent a budget resolution or a budget emergency. Federal shutdowns don't fit under the budget emergency law.
"A federal government shutdown is not an accidental event," Pope said. To allow for maximum flexibility in state spending, he said, the legislature may need to act.
"If we have a January shutdown that goes into February, then it may be necessary to have a special session," he said.
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