Government Shutdown Archives

Applied Technology Institute (ATICourses) provides a variety of technical training courses on Space, Satellite, Radar, Defense, Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Sonar. Now is the time to get your training! Last government shutdown has occurred in 2013. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_shutdown_of_2013 We’re months away from the annual budget deadline, and if Congress and President Donald Trump fail to appropriate funds, government departments won’t be able to spend money. This means contractors won’t get paid. “If the budget debate gets ugly, which is a clear possibility, we could see the shares weaken in September, and then potentially rebound fairly quickly with the conclusion of (or lack of) any shutdown, as was the case in 2013,” Wells Fargo analyst Ed Caso wrote in a Thursday note. However, those with fixed-price contracts, higher exposure to the Defense or Homeland Security Departments, or more off-site work are considered to be at a lesser risk.

What Could Exactly Happen?

During the federal shutdown of 2013, contractor stocks fell as much as 6 percent, while annual revenue and earnings per share were estimated to average a 1- to 1.5-percent hit, according to Wells Fargo. IFCI also lowered guidance. But this year’s shocks could be amplified. “We should note that in 2013 the sector was at through EV/EBITDA (enterprise value to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) multiples, while now they are in the upper quartile suggesting the potential for more volatility,” Caso wrote.

But How Worried Should We Be?

Given the current political climate, Caso considers a one-day shutdown possible and a multi-day shutdown modestly likely. Still, the caprice of the Trump administration merits preparation. “The political calculus, in our view, is even more unstable than in 2013, so uncertainty going into GFYend (September) should only be higher even with the memory that no one gained politically from the 2013 shutdown,” he wrote. Additionally, the drastic budget changes proposed could sustain debate more contentious than that driving the previous 16-day shutdown.

The parachute for the Mars Science Laboratory mission to Mars. The Mars Curiosity Rover will stop collecting data during the shutdown. Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech.

…but not without some major snark! Just before 11 p.m. Monday night, NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft sent this message via Twitter:

Due to government shutdown, we will not be posting or responding from this account. Farewell, humans. Sort it out yourselves. — NASAVoyager2 (@NASAVoyager2) October 1, 2013

Of course, it wasn’t Voyager sending the tweet, it was Voyager’s handlers here on Earth. But the slight whiff of snarkiness coming from the intrepid spacecraft that’s hurtling through deep space — and depending very much on government funding to do so — highlights the powerful impact this shutdown has on science and the nation’s scientific agencies. At NASA, Mission Control in Houston remains active to support the crew aboard the International Space Station. But nearly all other space agency operations have ground to a halt. NASA has 18,250 civil servants around the country, and the furlough means 90 percent are now sitting at home wondering what will happen at next. Visiting nasa.gov redirects users to a placeholder screen, saying that the website is not available, “due to the lapse in federal government funding.” The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s website still functions, but will not be updated. “We also cannot respond to comments/questions. We sincerely regret this inconvenience,” adds JPL. ABC News reached out to its press contacts and sources involved at NASA but only received an automated response in reply. “I am in furlough status; therefore, I am unable to respond to your message at this time,” wrote one employee. Spacecrafts and satellites not yet launched are grounded and while the Hubble Space Telescope will continue peering into far flung galaxies, no one will be there to collect the data.

“If a satellite mission has not yet been launched, work will generally cease on that project,” NASA’s shutdown plan reads. “The extent of support necessary and the time needed to safely cease project activities will depend on whether any of the activities are of a hazardous nature (e.g., parts of the satellite may need to be cooled).”

Work preparing for the Mars MAVEN mission, which was slated for a Nov. 18 launch, for example, has stopped, and could delay the craft’s planned mission to Mars. How did furlough effect you? Please let us know by commenting below.

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Tag: Government Shutdown

Government Shutdown: U.S. Budget Crisis Looms (Again)

What Could Exactly Happen?

But How Worried Should We Be?

Shutdown Reaches Mars: Curiosity Rover Will Stop