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Joint Base San Antonio Prepares For Government Shutdown

Joint Base San Antonio

With Congress waffling on whether it will adopt a budget or issue a continuing resolution by next Tuesday, the Pentagon is preparing for the worst.

Joint Base San Antonio spokesman Brent Boller said Joint Base San Antonio officials are following Department of Defense orders that were issued by the office of management and budget to plan for an orderly shutdown.

"A lapse would mean that a number of government activities would cease or at least be severely curtailed due to a lack of appropriated funding," Boller said. "While military personnel would continue in a normal duty status -- in other words, report to work -- a large number of civilian employees could potentially be  temporarily furloughed."

Boller said the military has been through this kind of stop-gap plan numerous times in the past -- a shutdown narrowly averted in 2011 and there was a three-week government shutdown in the mid 90s -- but this time the results have more impact on federal workers because they are just coming off furlough mandated by sequestration earlier this year.

Unless lawmakers agree on a budget or issue a continuing resolution to keep the government going, a shutdown would occur next Tuesday, Oct. 1.

Eileen Pace is a veteran radio and print journalist with a long history of investigative and feature reporting in San Antonio and Houston, earning more than 50 awards for investigative reporting, documentaries, long-form series, features, sports stories, outstanding anchoring and best use of sound.