Government (DC) shutdown - What it costs

[Snaquebite]

good analysis of what it costs to shut down DC for a day...

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/10/governments-million-day-loss-snowstorm/

Updated February 10, 2010
$100M-a-Day Federal Shutdown Buys A Lot of Obama Initiatives

FOXNews.com

The Office of Personnel Management estimates that the shuttering of the federal government due to the snowstorms in Washington, D.C., is costing taxpayers about $100 million every day in lost productivity. So what does $100 million buy?

Remember when President Obama ordered his Cabinet to come up with $100 million in spending cuts last year?

Sadly, the snowstorm blasting the nation's capital wiped out those savings in a day.

While D.C. residents take out their snow shovels for untold hours of back-breaking labor, the Office of Personnel Management estimates that the shuttering of the federal government is breaking the bank as well -- costing taxpayers about $100 million every day in lost productivity.

With Friday's half day, and three full days of government shut-down this week, that adds up to $350 million -- and it could top $500 million if the government, with its 230,000 D.C.-area employees, remains closed through the end of the week.

Trillion-dollar deficits, health care packages and stimulus bills may have numbed the public a bit to the value of $1 million, or $100 million. So FoxNews.com took a look at what $100 million can get the federal government these days, and here's what turned up:

-- 1,404 annual federal salaries. A recent estimate pegged the average federal pay at just over $71,000. With $100 million, the administration could fund 1,404 of those every day.

-- Nearly a full year's worth of foreclosure prevention funding. The president's fiscal 2011 budget calls for $113 million in foreclosure prevention "activities," which covers counseling for about 40,000 homeowners every month. Five and a half days of closings would help nearly 200,000 homeowners every month.

-- 18,692 Pell Grants. Washington increased the maximum Pell Grant award by $600 last year, putting the total value at $5,350.

-- 667 full-body scanners for U.S. airports, more than the double the number the Transportation Security Administration plans to buy this year. Calls for the installation of the scanners increased after the failed bombing of a Detroit-bound flight on Christmas. The TSA, as of late December, had only 40 in operation, with plans to deploy 150 this year and buy another 300 at the same time -- at a cost of between $130,000 and $170,000 apiece.

-- More than 300 new customs officers for screening at U.S. ports. The fiscal 2011 budget includes $94 million for that many new officers, hired to screen passengers and cargo at "ports of entry." The money is also going toward improving screening on the front end, at foreign airports and elsewhere. Five and a half days of shutdown could save or create 1,755 customs jobs.

-- The total cost, and then some, for next year's handling of the Guantanamo Bay detainees. The Department of Justice's fiscal 2011 budget request includes $73 million for the "transfer, prosecution and incarceration" of Guantanamo prisoners.

-- 93,949 monthly Social Security payments. With Social Security going broke, recipients might want to get their payments while they can. The government estimates the average monthly check is $1,064.

-- One full Haiti aid package. Obama's initial pledge of U.S. aid for earthquake-stricken Haiti was exactly $100 million.

-- 40 Super Bowl ads from the U.S. Census Bureau. The bureau angered some lawmakers after it was revealed its Super Bowl ad promoting the 2010 Census cost $2.5 million. But why stop there?

-- Full funding for the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The bureau, which has its work cut out for it as the economy appears to stagger toward some kind of recovery, is funded for $109 million in the president's 2011 budget plan.

And the list goes on. The federal government is not completely shuttered. The Office of Personnel Management is granting an "excused absence" to all non-emergency employees, but "emergency employees" are being told to come in and some are expected to telecommute.

This week's shutdown is the longest period of time the federal government has been closed in more than a decade. The longest in history occurred for about three weeks from December 1995 to January 1996 over a debt limit dispute. In that case, hundreds of thousands of federal employees were furloughed, meaning they were not paid.

That's not the case this time. But OPM Director John Berry wrote in a memo last week to human resources directors that the decision to close was being made "out of concern for employee safety and to help alleviate traffic concerns."

[Pete]

".........costing taxpayers about $100 million every day in lost productivity. ...."

Really?

Could somebody tell me just what "productivity" a government worker does? Government does not "make" money nor does it "produce" and item. It only moves money around. So if you're not moving money how does it cost money?

Maybe the printing press is down and they can't print and money?

[Snaquebite]

".........costing taxpayers about $100 million every day in lost productivity. ...."

Really?

Could somebody tell me just what "productivity" a government worker does? Government does not "make" money nor does it "produce" and item. It only moves money around. So if you're not moving money how does it cost money?

Maybe the printing press is down and they can't print and money?

Well, they do get paid for being "non-productive".

[Ret10Echo]

You would think teleworking would minimize so-called "loss of productivity".

From the Telework.Gov website:

Guidance and Legislation
Several legislative initiatives, some focusing specifically on telework and others on emergency planning, have shaped guidance and implementation of telework in the Federal Government.

The Office of Personnel Management and partner agencies like the General Services Administration are charged through these legislative initiatives to provide overall guidance to Federal agencies, creating baseline expectations for agency programs and helping agencies implement those programs as effectively as possible


In fact there is legislation in place that REQUIRED agencies to implement telework policies and facilitates the implementation:

31 USC 1348, note (from Public Law 104-52, § 620)
Enables agencies to use appropriated funds to install and fund telephone lines and/or other equipment in the homes of employees authorized to work at home.

Public Law 105-277, Omnibus Appropriation Act, Title IV, § 630
Requires that funds be set aside for Executive agency employees to use telework centers.

Public Law 106-346, § 359
Requires that all Executive agencies establish telework policies.

Public Law 108-199, Division B, § 627
Established some additional telework reporting and program requirements for the Departments of Commerce, State, the Judiciary, and the Small Business Administration for the relevant fiscal year only.

Public Law 108-447, Division B, § 622
Established some additional telework reporting and program requirements for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Small Business Administration for the relevant fiscal year only.

Additionally there is legislation in the works to EXPAND telework requirements.

The Telework Improvements Act (H.R. 1722), introduced by Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., and the Telework Enhancement Act (S. 707), introduced by Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii.

Why do you ask is additional legislation required. I will venture to respond by stating that the check-the-block, finger-wave and Skilcraft certification was rampant. Basically, IMOO, the management within the Federal Government is antiquated, trapped in 1973 where the expectation is they can walk out of the office and count heads in cubicles or at desks.

So where is the accountability for this?

Is the expectation that if a serious event occurred that required continuity plans to be initiated that the response would be any LESS efficient? It wasn't so long ago that various forms of flu were all the range. Countless hours were spent figuring out how we could POSSIBLY maintain operational capabilities during such a pig-fowl onslaught.

What is occurring now is the result of poor management and equally poor implementation of policy. The rules state each agency will have a telework policy. There is no requirement that any of the employees be given permission to exercise the telework policy.

You would THINK that the thousands of employees NOT being in buildings would provide for some level of cost SAVINGS (electrical power, water, sewer etc.)

Stone throwing should take place. Ask your elected officials WHY these FEDERAL LAWS are not being followed. Ask your elected officials why Federal employees equipped with laptop computers are not working just as hard from home as they would be in their office. Maybe the answer is their supervisors will not allow telework because other than occupying space there is no measure of employee productivity. Somebody sitting at their desk does not equate to being at work. As a society we have determined that if somebody is staring at a computer screen they are getting something done.

Perhaps the answer is that many of those employees actually produce nothing. Perhaps if many of those employees NEVER went back to work there would be no noticeable difference in the functioning of the government.

Maybe that would SAVE taxpayers a $100 Million a day......but it sure won't get you reelected.

Something to think about.

[GratefulCitizen]

As a society we have determined that if somebody is staring at a computer screen they are getting something done.


Excellent post.
Couldn't resist commenting on this sentence.

Blogging: Never before have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few. :D



Hat tip: http://www.despair.com/viewall.html

[lksteve]

Personally, I think the republic could better stand the cost if we shuttled the civil servants to work and sent Congress home for awhile...just my opinion, you understand...

[Richard]

Is all that figured in OMB $$ (see attchd pic) or in regular $$ like those in my bank account? :rolleyes:

Richard's jaded $.02 :munchin

[Ret10Echo]

Is all that figured in OMB $$ (see attchd pic) or in regular $$ like those in my bank account? :rolleyes:

Richard's jaded $.02 :munchin

You are not with the times Richard....:D


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[Over]

".........costing taxpayers about $100 million every day in lost productivity. ...."

Really?

Could somebody tell me just what "productivity" a government worker does? Government does not "make" money nor does it "produce" and item. It only moves money around. So if you're not moving money how does it cost money?

Maybe the printing press is down and they can't print and money?

In light of the current situation, maybe the Fed being out of the office is actually SAVING us money this time!

[Slantwire]

As a society we have determined that if somebody is staring at a computer screen they are getting something done.

Now where was Richard's "Situational Awareness No-Go" thread?

Ah, there it is (http://professionalsoldiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27479).

[Ret10Echo]

To further flog the dead horse....(or in certain instances the dead jackass)

The statement should be the Federal buildings or facilities in the National Capitol Region are closed. Other than those who work in areas that require you to empty your pockets, Feds should be accomplishing their assigned duties regardless of their physical location.

Teleworking becomes top of mind for federal government
February 11, 2010


By Dorothy Ramienski
Internet Editor
Federal News Radio


The blizzard of 2010 is gone, most in the area are digging out, and some in the federal government are already looking at lessons learned.

One of the biggest topics that was raised during Federal News Radio's coverage of the storm had to do with teleworking in the federal government.

Some agencies, such as the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration, have a good number of employees who already have telework agreements.

The Patent and Trademark Office told Federal News Radio that it had a record number of people teleworking during the worst of the storm on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

Not all agencies can boast of such numbers, however.

Rep. Gerry Connolly (D.-Va.) spoke with The Federal Drive on Thursday morning and explained that he thinks a lot more federal employees should be authorized to telework, and that some of the current policies should be changed.

Note there is no exact number provided. It COULD be '1'

Chuck Wilsker, President and CEO of the Telework Coalition talked with The Daily Debrief on Thursday afternoon. He said that he doesn't think changing the government's workplace policies on telecommuting is as easy as it sounds.

On Wednesday's Daily Debrief, OPM Director John Berry explained that he had a conversation with President Barack Obama on Wednesday regarding current teleworking policies.

"I discussed [it] with the President today. In that storm in 1996, probably less than one percent of employees were able to telework and actually did. A closure then meant, really, a closure. Today -- Monday and Tuesday -- GSA can tell exactly how many . . . folks from home are tapping into the mainframe at GSA. We can do that at OPM too, and I suspect every agency can. Just on Monday and Tuesday, GSA and OPM [had] 30 percent of our workers logged onto the mainframe."

Berry acknowledged that, while this is a big improvement over what happened in 1996, the federal government needs to do more.

"Probably 80 percent of those workers do not have active telework agreements. They're just smart enough to know -- I can get my job done at home as well as I can in the office -- and they are logging on and doing it. . . . This is a watershed moment. If there is a silver lining in the storm of 2010, it is that this will be the moment, I predict, for all managers and every agency to recognize the criticality of telework to maintaining their functionality and their operations. It will grow rapidly from here in terms of its success."

He added that one of the biggest lessons learned from the snow has to do with the fact that technology can and does work when deployed properly.

But note that the employee must be a self starter. The 80% of the 30%

Berry also told Federal News Radio on Monday's Daily Debrief that he himself took advantage of the ability to telework while the blizzard was raging.

"I've been able to stay constantly in touch. I'm current with my emails. . . . Just because people are home doesn't mean they're necessarily vacationing. They are often times maintaining the operations from the government from their homes. . . . Telework works. I didn't have to go jeopardize my aging bones with broken wrists or broken knees or trying to get to an emergency room because I could operate from home very safely. We can do the business of government at home when we need to, and we need to [do] more and more of this."

He added that he is currently working with the administration to drive more focus to the issue of telework and cybersecurity.

"I think we're going to push this one forward. My hope is we can make it part of the routine. We can convince our managers that this can work and that we can drive this into actual practice."

Because the laws passed are ignored.

[Sigaba]

FWIW, one segment of the 2 February 2010 installment of PBS's Frontline centered around IBM's initiative to increase the benefits of telecommuting by having team meetings in a virtual reality environment. An extended interview with IBM's CTO for sales and distribution, Francoise LeGoues, is available here (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/interviews/legoues.html). The entire installment, "digital_nation: life on the virtual frontier," is available here (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/).

I am somewhat startled by the quote in Dorothy Ramienski's article about the 2010 blizzard being a "watershed" event. What about all the talk the government has had about remaining in operation during a global pandemic? IIRC, the government spoke at great length for the need for a national plan after the SARS scare of 2002-2003, and then there were H1N1 virus a year ago.

[Buffalobob]

I am retired. I get paid for doing nothing even when it doesn't snow. :D



My wife, who refuses to retire and stay home and entertain me, had a conference call yesterday and another one today and answered all of her emails every day from home.

[Ret10Echo]

I am somewhat startled by the quote in Dorothy Ramienski's article about the 2010 blizzard being a "watershed" event. What about all the talk the government has had about remaining in operation during a global pandemic? IIRC, the government spoke at great length for the need for a national plan after the SARS scare of 2002-2003, and then there were H1N1 virus a year ago.

Sigaba,
Thank you for the link. I will have to take a look at that.

In reference to pandemic planning....my point exactly. There was a HUGE amount of effort that went into PanFlu plans, annexes and checklists. Apparently there was not a single Federal Executive Agency leader or senior manager that had the ability (imagination?) to make the connection between the pandemic planning and an extended work outage due to a natural event such as this snowstorm. This was a test that resulted in a colossal failure (My opinion).

Somebody should be asking questions. But, I suppose they are too busy trying to fix the BCS.

[JimP]

I would argue the reverse - that productivity goes up immensely when the crooks, pirates and liars are unable to go to work to keep fleecing America. Keep Government shut down and we'll crawl out of this mess real fast, quick and in a hurry. Put these pirates back in their ships and the looting begins afresh.

Screw 'em all. Toss everyone one of these lying, profligate sumbitches out on their arse!!! :mad: