After the longest government shutdown in history, nine federal agencies are in the process of reopening this morning after 35 days.

 

On Friday, President Trump agreed to fully reopen the government until Feb. 15, essentially for three weeks. The deal he struck didn’t include money for a border wall, which had been a campaign promise Trump ran on and became the stumbling block for weeks.

The deal, while helpful for some government employees, won’t be a quick remedy for others. The 800,000 federal workers were either furloughed or forced to work without pay during the shutdown that began just before Christmas with many workers missing two full paychecks. Last week’s bill directed federal agencies to issue back pay to workers “at the earliest date possible” once the government reopened. That date could vary from agency to agency. However, those designated as contractors such a sanitation staff and security guards may not receive back pay, according to the language of the bill.

And with tax season quickly approaching, many are asking how the IRS is going to function now.

The department did receive its full funding back, but there are still problems caused by the shutdown.

The IRS reportedly has a buildup of 5 million pieces of mail from taxpayers, and has to train employees on Trump’s new tax code despite tax season starting today.

Local tax professionals, Double S Bookkeeping, Hoskins Accounting and McGhee Tax Service are ready to help you with your tax return this tax season.

In all, nine departments had operations impacted by the shutdown: Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, State, Transportation and Treasury.

Trump has also indicated Friday that if an agreement to fund a border wall is not made by Feb. 15, when the stopgap funding expires, that he may declare a national emergency to build the wall. Such a move would likely immediately be met with a legal challenge.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 01/28/2019-6AM)

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