WASHINGTON — With lower than two days left earlier than the US authorities doubtlessly shuts down, the Division of Protection has issued contingency steering to the power outlining six priorities and contracting plans.
“Actions which can be decided to not be excepted, and which can’t be carried out by using navy personnel rather than furloughed civilian personnel, will likely be suspended when appropriated funds are now not accessible,” the document mentioned. The secretary of protection “could, at any time, decide that further actions shall be handled as excepted,” it added.
Fiscal 2025 is sunsetting when the clock strikes midnight Wednesday. Congress has not but permitted FY26 spending payments, and Democrats and Republicans haven’t reached an settlement on a seamless decision to maintain the federal government open. If a stopgap measure shouldn’t be permitted by each chambers and signed by President Donald Trump, the federal authorities will shut down.
For DoD, that signifies that navy personnel on lively obligation — together with reserve part personnel on federal lively obligation — will proceed reporting for obligation and could also be requested to hold out non-excepted actions usually completed by civilian personnel which were furloughed.
“Civilian personnel, together with navy technicians, who should not obligatory to hold out or assist excepted actions, are to be furloughed utilizing lapse in appropriations (also known as ‘shutdown’) procedures and steering supplied by the Workplace of Personnel Administration,” the Pentagon steering mentioned. “Solely the minimal variety of civilian staff obligatory to hold out excepted actions will likely be excepted from furlough.”
The division’s “highest priorities,” in response to the steering, will revolve round operations securing the US Southern border, operations within the Center East, designing Golden Dome, depot upkeep, shipbuilding and significant munitions.
“As in each case, efforts supporting these actions could happen throughout a lapse when resourced with funds that stay accessible,” the planning steering mentioned.
“The place prices for such efforts should be charged towards a lapsed appropriation, Element and subordinate leaders will intently consider particular person actions to find out whether or not they’re ‘excepted’ in keeping with this planning steering and proceed or provoke them, as acceptable, when supported by the details,” the doc later added.
With regards to work on big-ticket weapons packages, contractors are in a position to proceed engaged on beforehand awarded offers. Nonetheless, the division shouldn’t be allowed to execute new contracts.
“The expiration of an appropriation doesn’t require the termination of contracts (or issuance of cease work orders) funded by that appropriation until a brand new obligation of funds is required underneath the contract and the contract shouldn’t be required to assist an excepted exercise,” the steering continues.
