PAYMENTS CONTINUED TO FARMERS WITH ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE LAND

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
USDA Issues Conservation Reserve Program Rental Payments, Direct Payments and ACRE Payments

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2013 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA has begun distributing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) annual rental payments to participants across the country. USDA also will distribute 2013 direct payments and 2012 Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program payments beginning Oct. 24. Payments originally were scheduled to be issued earlier in the month, but were delayed by several weeks due to the lapse in Federal funding.


“Farmers, ranchers and rural landowners across the country count on USDA programs and the payment delays due to the shutdown were an unnecessary burden,” Vilsack said. “USDA has prioritized making these scheduled payments without any further delay and Farm Service Agency staff have worked hard to get this assistance out the door as quickly as possible.”


Producers will receive payments on almost 700,000 CRP contracts on 390,000 farms covering 26.8 million acres. In exchange for a yearly rental payment provided by USDA on contracts ranging from 10 to 15 years, farmers and ranchers enrolled in CRP agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant grasses or trees that will improve water quality and improve waterfowl and wildlife habitat. CRP reduced runoff and leaching of nitrogen and phosphorus into waterways by an estimated 605 million pounds and 121 million pounds, respectively, in 2012, and soil erosion reductions totaling 308 million tons in 2012.


Direct payments for 2013 for the DCP and ACRE programs are being made to the more than 1.7 million farms enrolled in the Farm Service Agency’s programs. Producers with base acres of certain commodities are eligible for DCP payments. ACRE payments for 2012-crop barley, corn, grain sorghum, lentils, oats, peanuts, dry peas, soybeans, and wheat are scheduled to be released beginning Oct. 24 and contingent upon national average market prices and yields in each state. ACRE payments for large chickpeas, small chickpeas, canola, crambe, flaxseed, mustard seed, rapeseed, safflower, sesame, and sunflowers are scheduled to be made in early December and for long grain rice and medium and short grain rice in early February 2014 when the final 2012/13 market year average price data becomes available.


The 2008 Farm Bill, extended by the American Tax Payer Relief Act of 2012, provides authority to enroll land in DCP, ACRE and CRP through Sept. 30, 2013, however, no legislation has been enacted to reauthorize or extend this authority. Effective Oct. 1, 2013, FSA does not have legislative authority to approve or process applications for these programs.

PRESIDENT OBAMA THANKS FEDERAL WORKERS FOR SACRIFICES

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
President Obama Welcomes Back, Thanks Federal Workers
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2013 - President Barack Obama today thanked federal employees for their service, sacrifices and dedication.

In a White House speech today to mark the end of a government shutdown that sidelined hundreds of thousands of federal workers, the president said their service matters.

"Thanks for your service," Obama said to federal workers. "Welcome back. What you do is important -- it matters. You defend our country overseas. You deliver benefits to our troops who have earned them when they come home. You guard our borders. You protect our civil rights. You help businesses grow and gain footholds in overseas markets. You protect the air we breathe and the water our children drink. And you push the boundaries of science and space. And you guide hundreds of thousands of people each day through the glories of this country."

Federal service is important, the president said. "Don't let anybody else tell you differently," he added.

Addressing to the political differences that spawned the shutdown, the president called for cooperation going forward.

"Those of us who have the privilege to serve this country have an obligation to do our job as best we can," he said. "We come from different parties, but we are Americans first. And that's why disagreement cannot mean dysfunction. It can't degenerate into hatred."

Federal workers serve America and Americans, Obama said. "The American people's hopes and dreams are what matters, not ours," he added. "Our obligations are to them. Our regard for them compels us all, Democrats and Republicans, to cooperate and compromise and act in the best interests of our nation."

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL TOUTS VALUE OF WORKFORCE AFTER SHUTDOWN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel Stresses Workforce's Value After 'Manufactured Crisis'
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel issued a message to the Defense Department's workforce today, welcoming back employees furloughed by the 16-day government shutdown and emphasizing their value to the nation.

Here is the text of the secretary's message:

Today the Department of Defense is resuming normal operations across the world, now that Congress has finally restored funding for DoD and the rest of the federal government. This manufactured crisis was an unwelcome and unnecessary distraction from our critical work of keeping the country safe.

I know that each of your lives has been disrupted and affected in different ways. I regret the impact that this shutdown had on so many of our civilian personnel, particularly those who I was previously unable to recall from emergency furlough.

Starting today, we will be welcoming all of our civilians back to their normal duties. To those returning from furlough: know that the work you perform is incredibly valued by your military teammates and by me. I appreciate your professionalism and your patience during this difficult period of time, which came on top of last summer's sequestration-related furloughs. Your managers will have more information about this, but I can assure you that you will be paid in full for the time you were furloughed during the shutdown.

Now that this latest budget crisis has come to an end, we have an opportunity to return to focusing on the critical work of this department. Unfortunately, Congress did not end the budget uncertainty that has cast such a shadow of uncertainty over this department for much of the year. In the months ahead, they will have an opportunity to do so. My hope is that they will realize that these kinds of crises do great damage to our people, our national security, our economy, and America's standing in the world. Congress has a responsibility to govern, and it must fulfill those basic responsibilities in order to keep our country strong.

U.S. GOVERNMENT CONCERNED ABOUT RESERVE PERSONNEL READINESS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Shutdown Endangers Reserve Component Readiness
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2013 - Reserve component personnel continue to be affected by the government shutdown, and officials are concerned about readiness.

Within DOD, the reserve components are the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the Army Reserve, the Air Force Reserve, the Navy Reserve and the Marine Corps Reserve. The Coast Guard Reserve comes under the Department of Homeland Security.

There are around 850,000 personnel in the selected reserve and they are among those most affected by the partial shutdown. Selected reserves are those units so essential to wartime missions they are required to continue training each month to maintain proficiency. The units also train an additional two weeks a year.

Officially, these weekend drills are called "Inactive Duty Training" and are used to maintain readiness and keep qualifications current, DOD reserve affairs officials said.

"These inactive duty periods are not authorized during the shutdown, unless they are supporting certain critical activities or future deployments," said one official.

Reserve component personnel training for deployment may continue as required.

Recruiting efforts continue to fill the ranks of the reserve components, but reserve affairs personnel worry about the long-term effect the government shutdown will have on recruiting and retention.

"It is too soon to tell, but reserve components are monitoring this closely," officials said.

Federal civilian employees of the reserve components have been recalled if they meet DOD guidance. They are covered under the Pay Our Military Act.

The act has provided relief from some of the shutdown, but if furloughs continue, training needed to maintain readiness will be restricted, official said, which could impact reservists.
"While the president could still call on them, their readiness levels would not be as robust under normal appropriations," officials said.

National Guard units also have state missions, and the lack of appropriations affects their ability to perform those jobs.

The Pay Our Military Act allows family programs for reserve component personnel -- especially for the families of those deployed -- to continue.

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S WEEKLY ADDRESS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE WEEKLY ADDRESS 
Weekly Address: End the Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said that Republicans in the House of Representatives chose to shut down the government over a health care law they don’t like. He urged the Congress to pass a budget that funds our government, with no partisan strings attached.  The President made clear he will work with anyone of either party on ways to grow this economy, create new jobs, and get our fiscal house in order for the long haul – but not under the shadow of these threats to our economy.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
October 5, 2013


Good morning.  Earlier this week, the Republican House of Representatives chose to shut down a government they don’t like over a health care law they don’t like.  And I’ve talked a lot about the real-world consequences of this shutdown in recent days – the services disrupted; the benefits delayed; the public servants kicked off the job without pay.

But today, I want to let the Americans dealing with those real-world consequences have their say.  And these are just a few of the many heartbreaking letters I’ve gotten from them in the past couple weeks – including more than 30,000 over the past few days.

Kelly Mumper lives in rural Alabama.  She works in early education, and has three children of her own in the Marines.  Here’s what she wrote to me on Wednesday.

“Our Head Start agency…was forced to stop providing services on October 1st for over 770 children, and 175 staff were furloughed.  I am extremely concerned for the welfare of these children.  There are parents who work and who attend school.  Where are they leaving their children…is it a safe environment…are [they] getting the food that they receive at their Head Start program?”

On the day Julia Pruden’s application to buy a home for her and her special needs children was approved by the USDA’s rural development direct loan program, she wrote me from Minot, North Dakota.

“We put in an offer to purchase a home this weekend, and it was accepted…if funding does not go through, our chances of the American Dream [are] down the drain…We have worked really hard to get our credit to be acceptable to purchase a home…if it weren’t for the direct lending program provided by the USDA, we would not qualify to buy the home we found.”

These are just two of the many letters I’ve received from people who work hard; try to make ends meet; try to do right by their families.  They’re military or military spouses who’ve seen commissaries closed on their bases.  They’re veterans worried the services they’ve earned won’t be there.  They’re business owners who’ve seen their contracts with the government put on hold, worried they’ll have to let people go.  I want them to know, I read the stories you share with me.

These are our fellow Americans.  These are the people who sent us here to serve.  And I know that Republicans in the House of Representatives are hearing the same kinds of stories, too.

As I made clear to them this week, there’s only one way out of this reckless and damaging shutdown: pass a budget that funds our government, with no partisan strings attached.  The Senate has already done this.  And there are enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House of Representatives willing to do the same, and end this shutdown immediately.  But the far right of the Republican Party won’t let Speaker John Boehner give that bill a yes-or-no vote.

Take that vote.  Stop this farce.  End this shutdown now.

The American people don’t get to demand ransom in exchange for doing their job. Neither does Congress. They don’t get to hold our democracy or our economy hostage over a settled law. They don’t get to kick a child out of Head Start if I don’t agree to take her parents’ health insurance away. That’s not how our democracy is supposed to work.

That's why I won't pay a ransom in exchange for reopening the government. And I certainly won't pay a ransom in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. For as reckless as a government shutdown is, an economic shutdown that comes with default would be dramatically worse.

I'll always work with anyone of either party on ways to grow this economy, create new jobs, and get our fiscal house in order for the long haul. But not under the shadow of these threats to our economy.

Pass a budget. End this government shutdown.

Pay our bills. Prevent an economic shutdown.

These Americans and millions of others are counting on Congress to do the right thing. And I will do everything I can to make sure they do.

Thank you.

UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE HALE WANTS CONGRESS TO END SHUTDOWN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hale Calls Shutdown 'a Tragedy,' Urges Congress to End It
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2013 - The lapse in appropriations that triggered the government shutdown "is a tragedy," and a "colossal waste of time" DOD's comptroller told the House Armed Services Committee today.

Under Secretary of Defense Robert F. Hale described for lawmakers how the department has implemented the Pay Our Military Act, which has mitigated some aspects of the shutdown. The act, passed September 30, took some days for DOD officials to examine and implement.

Hale described the steps the department took to prepare for the shutdown. On September 25, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter issued a memo on shutdown triggered by the lapse in appropriations defining excepted activities. Under the law such activities are related to military operations and safety to life and protection to property.

"Once the lapse occurred we have no authority ... except to follow this guidance," Hale said.

Under the guidance, active duty military personnel continued in their normal status. Commanders and managers identified DOD civilians who worked primarily on excepted activities.

"These excepted civilians continued working after the lapse," Hale said. "All others were placed on emergency no-notice furloughs."

Reserve component personnel on inactive duty were allowed to drill only if the drills were in support of excepted activities such as readying for deployment to Afghanistan.

All told around 400,000 DOD civilians were placed on furlough.

"They will be paid only if Congress passes separate legislation," Hale said. "Military personnel and excepted civilians continued to work and they are guaranteed to be paid. In [the] reserves they can't be paid until after the lapse ends."

This was the situation before the Pay Our Military Act was implemented. POMA is an appropriations act, Hale said. It guarantees pay and allowances for those on active service.

"DOD can now pay active duty military personnel on time and in full, even ... if the lapse continues beyond the active duty payday," he said.

The act also allows pay and and benefits for excepted civilians in full and on time, he said.

It further provides pay and benefits for civilians in other categories, and this allowed the department to call back many civilians "who most directly served the members of the armed forces," Hale said. Lawyers concluded the act did not allow a blanket recall.

Department leaders conducted a review to identify the DOD civilians that fell within the act's purview.

"That review focused on the degree to which civilians aided the morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of members of the armed forces," Hale said.

Excepted personnel fell into this category. The department recalled civilians who provide day-to-day support, like health care providers, family support, some repair and maintenance, commissary workers and payroll activities.

Another group of civilians who provide longer term support were also recalled. They include acquisition oversight, financial management, logistics, and a number of others.

"Finally, a category of civilians was identified whose work is highly valuable and necessary ... but it provides less direct support to military members," Hale said. "These civilians were not covered by POMA, and some remain on furlough."

They include chief information officer staff functions, public affairs officers except internal communications personnel, legislative affairs, deputy chief management officer, auditors, and related functions, as well as personnel providing support to non-DOD personnel.

More than 95 percent of DOD civilians who were on furlough were recalled, and most were back to work by October 7th.

Still, the lapse of appropriations is having serious adverse effects on DOD, Hale said.

"Despite our very best efforts, there are already some limited adverse effects on the war in Afghanistan," he said. While military operations are excepted, "we no longer have authority to make ... the Commander Emergency Response Program payments."

CERP funds are used to pay Afghans compensation for deaths or damage, or other events.

"They are key to continuing a responsible drawdown in Afghanistan," Hale said.

Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the International Security Assistance Force commander in Kabul, has expressed his strong concerns on the situation.

"But we have not yet identified a legal way to make these payments during a lapse of appropriations," Hale said. "We're trying our best."

The lapse continues to erode reserve component training and readiness. Weekend drills have been halted. The National Guard has canceled around 100,000 drills in the first weekend; the reserves canceled around 75,000 drills.

Active duty personnel are also hit in training and readiness accounts.

"The lapse forces us to waste a good deal of the public's money," Hale said. "About 400,000 DOD civilian personnel on furlough did not work for four days. That's roughly $600 million in services that we lost in support of national security objectives."

FEDERAL AGENCIES ENCOURAGE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO WORK WITH CUSTOMERS DURING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

FROM:  FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION 
Regulators Encourage Institutions to Work with Borrowers Affected by Government Shutdown

Five federal regulatory agencies encourage financial institutions to work with customers affected by the federal government shutdown.

Prudent workout arrangements that are consistent with safe-and-sound lending practices are generally in the long-term best interest of the financial institution, the borrower, and the economy.

Affected borrowers may face a temporary hardship in making payments on debts such as mortgages, student loans, car loans, credit cards, and other debt. The agencies encourage financial institutions to consider prudent workout arrangements that increase the potential for creditworthy borrowers to meet their obligations. The agencies realize that the effects of the federal government shutdown on individuals should be transitory, and prudent efforts to modify terms on existing loans should not be subject to examiner criticism.

Those affected by the government shutdown are encouraged to contact their lenders immediately should financial strain occur.

VA SECRETARY WARNS OF GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IMPACT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
VA Secretary Warns of Shutdown Impact on Veterans, Families
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2013 - Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki painted a dire picture today of the impact of the government shutdown on benefits and services to veterans -- from a slowdown in claims reviews to the threat of cancelled compensation checks to more than 5 million beneficiaries if funding isn't restored soon.

"All the effects ... are negative," Shinseki reported during testimony before the House Veterans Affairs Committee. "It is an impediment to VA's ability to deliver services and benefits that veterans have earned through their service."

VA's health care system continues to function under advance appropriations provided through fiscal 2014. This means all VA medical centers, clinics and other health services remain open for business as usual.

But cancellation of overtime payments when appropriations lapsed at midnight Sept. 30 has had an immediate impact on benefit claims reviews, Shinseki told the panel. This not only has stalled progress made in recent months toward eliminating the claims backlog, but actually increased it by about 2,000 claims, he reported.

"The shutdown directly threatens VA's ability to eliminate the backlog," he lamented. "We have lost ground we fought hard to take. Roughly 1,400 veterans a day are not receiving decisions on their disability claims due to the end of overtime."

If the impasse continues through late October, Shinseki said, claims processing for compensation, pension, education, vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits will be suspended. "Once mandatory funds are depleted at the end of this month, nearly 5,600 veterans a day will not receive a decision on their disability claims," he said.

Meanwhile, Shinseki warned of more severe consequences in terms programmed compensation benefits, pension payments and educational benefits if funding isn't approved soon.

"VA will not be able to assure delivery of [Nov. 1] checks to more than 5.18 million beneficiaries," who collectively are scheduled to receive $6.25 billion in benefits, Shinseki said. This includes payments to more than 3.8 million veterans -- some suffering the most severe disabilities -- as well as more than 364,000 survivors and more than 1,200 children with birth defects and other conditions related to a parent's military service.

Pension payments, too, will stop for almost 315,000 veterans and more than 202,000 surviving spouses and dependents if the shutdown continues into late October, he said.

A prolonged shutdown also will stop education benefits and living stipends under GI Bill programs for more than a half-million veterans and service members, he reported.

Shinseki said employee furloughs at VA already are affecting operations that directly support services and benefits for veterans.

Exhausting carryover funds that had sustained the Veterans Benefits Administration through yesterday, VA furloughed more than 7,800 VBA employees, he said. That's on top of almost 2,800 employees from VA's Office of Information and Technology who were furloughed Oct. 1, Shinseki reported. In both cases, more than half of the furloughed VA employees are veterans themselves, he noted.

Shinseki told Congress that a piecemeal approach to restoring funding isn't the answer, because VA partners with so many other federal agencies to deliver veterans services.

He noted, for example, his department's work with the Labor Department to promote veterans jobs programs and with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to end veteran homelessness.

VA has weathered government shutdowns in the past. But during the last one, in 1996, the United States was enjoying a sustained period of relative peace, Shinseki said.

"Today we are in the 13th year of war in Afghanistan, providing care and benefits to veterans of that war and the war in Iraq as well," he told the committee. "Members of this latest generation of veterans are enrolling in VA at a higher rate than ever before. They, along with the veterans of every preceding generation, will be harmed if the shutdown continues."

Shinseki urged Congress to resolve the fiscal impasse now, "so that VA and our federal partners on whom we have to rely to do our work can get back to work full-time, fulfilling President Lincoln's call to care for those who have borne the battle."

FISHER HOUSE TO AID IN PAYING DEATH BENEFITS FOR TROOPS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Fisher House Steps Forward to Aid DOD in Paying Death Benefits
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2013 - The Fisher House Foundation has stepped in to aid the Defense Department so families of fallen service members can receive the full set of benefits they have been promised, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said here today.

The Fisher House Foundation and DOD entered an agreement that includes the $100,000 death gratuity payment.

"I am offended, outraged, and embarrassed that the government shutdown had prevented the Department of Defense from fulfilling this most sacred responsibility in a timely manner," Hagel said in a written statement.

In the weeks before the shutdown, defense officials had warned Congress that the ability to pay death benefits to grieving families would run out when the appropriations lapsed.

"The Department of Defense informed Congress that the department would be legally unable to pay death benefits were there to be a lapse in DOD appropriations," White House press secretary Jay Carney said during his daily briefing today.

The issue was not explicitly addressed as part of the Pay Our Military Act. "The president was very disturbed to learn of this problem, and he directed the Department of Defense to work with the Office of Management and Budget and his lawyers to develop a possible solution and he expects this ... to be fixed today," Carney said.

Since the shutdown began Oct. 1, DOD budget officials looked at options to continue these benefits, Hagel said. "Even under the Pay Our Military Act, we found that we lacked the necessary authority to make payments to the families directly," the secretary said.

The Fisher House Foundation offered to make payments to these families from its own funds, and OMB officials determined DOD can enter into a contract with the Fisher House Foundation to provide these benefits.

"The Fisher House Foundation will provide the families of the fallen with the benefits they so richly deserve," Hagel said. "After the shutdown ends, DOD will reimburse the Fisher House for the costs it has incurred."

The Fisher House Foundation is best known for the houses built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers nationwide and in Europe. Families of wounded or hospitalized service members stay at the houses as their loved ones undergo hospitalization for a combat injury, illness or disease.

A total of 26 service members have died since Oct. 1, including five killed in combat in Afghanistan. The $100,000 death gratuity comes from appropriated funds, and DOD could not obligate funds once the fiscal year 2013 appropriation ran out. The department also cannot pay the benefit that provides 12 months of basic allowance for housing, as that money also comes via appropriated funds.

"The department has no higher priority than taking care of our service members and their families," Hagel said. "Congress has responsibilities as well, and it has abdicated them.

"Along with the rest of the department's leaders," he continued, "I will continue to work every day to address the very real impact that the government shutdown is having on our people, and I once again call on Congress to fulfill its basic responsibilities and restore funding for the federal government."

READOUT: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CALL TO HOUSE SPEAKER BOEHNER

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE
Readout of the President’s Call to House Speaker John Boehner

Late this morning, the President telephoned Speaker John Boehner from the Oval Office and repeated what he told him when they met at the White House last week: the President is willing to negotiate with Republicans -- after the threat of government shutdown and default have been removed – over policies that Republicans think would strengthen the country.  The President also repeated his willingness to negotiate on priorities that he has identified including policies that expand economic opportunity, support private sector job creation, enhance the competitiveness of American businesses, strengthen the Affordable Care Act and continue to reduce the nation’s deficit.

The President urged the Speaker to hold a vote in the House of Representatives on the Senate-passed measure that would re-open the federal government immediately.  Citing the Senate’s intention to pass a clean, yearlong extension of the debt limit this week, the President also pressed the Speaker to allow a timely up-or-down vote in the House to raise the debt limit with no ideological strings attached.  He noted that only Congress has the authority to raise the debt limit and failure to do so would have grave consequences for middle class families and the American economy as a whole.

E-MAIL SENT FROM ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER REGARDING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Message from the Attorney General and the President to Employees
~ Tuesday, October 1, 2013
The following message from the Attorney General was emailed to Justice Department employees on October 1, 2013.

Dear Colleagues,

As we enter this unnecessary and harmful government shutdown, I have been asked to pass on the attached message to all federal employees from President Obama.

I also want to reiterate that I am grateful for your dedicated service and I am mindful of how difficult this shutdown is on you, the Department's hard-working employees. While I hope that Congress will act to resolve this situation quickly, I will make every effort to keep you informed over the coming days.

As always, I am proud of the work that we do together to keep our nation and the American people safe each day.

Sincerely,

Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Attorney General

PRESIDENT OBAMA EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT WITH CONGRESS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Obama Lauds DOD Workforce, Encourages Budget Resolution

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2013 - President Barack Obama thanked the Defense Department workforce today in a video message and expressed his disappointment in Congress' failure to approve a budget, resulting in a government shutdown.

"As president, and as your commander-in-chief, I've worked to make sure you have the strategy, the resources and the support you need to complete the missions our nation asks of you," he said.

"And every time you've met your responsibilities and performed with extraordinary professionalism, skill and courage," Obama said.

Unfortunately, the president said, Congress has not fulfilled its responsibility and failed to pass a budget.

"As a result, much of our government must now shut down until Congress funds it again," Obama said.

Obama noted Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other commanders would provide more information on how the shutdown will affect the DOD civilians and their families.

"Today, I want to speak directly to you about how what happens next," he said. "Those of you in uniform will remain in your normal duty status. The threats to our national security have not changed, and we need you to be ready for any contingency."

"Ongoing military operations, like our efforts in Afghanistan, will continue," Obama said. "If you're serving in harm's way, we're going to make sure you have what you need to succeed in your missions."

The president said Congress has passed, and he would sign into law, legislation ensuring those personnel receive their paychecks on time.

"We'll continue to work to address any impact this shut down has on you and your families," Obama said.

"To all our DOD civilians, I know the days ahead could mean more uncertainty, including possible

furloughs," he said. "And I know this comes on top of the furloughs that many of you already endured this summer."

Obama said DOD civilians and their families deserved "better than the dysfunction we're seeing in Congress."

"Your talents and dedication help keep our military the best in the world," he said. "That's why I'll keep working to get Congress to re-open our government and get you back to work as soon as possible."

Obama said the shutdown is occurring against the background of broader changes with the war in Iraq over and the war in Afghanistan slated to end next year.

"After more than a decade of unprecedented operations, we're moving off a war footing," he said. "Yes, our military will be leaner, and as a nation, we face difficult budget choices going forward."

"But here's what I want you to know. I'm going to keep fighting to get rid of those across-the-board budget cuts the sequester which are hurting our military and our economy."

We need a responsible approach, Obama said, that deals with our fiscal challenges and keeps our military and our economy strong.

"I'm going to make sure you stay the greatest military in the world bar none," he added. "That's what I'm fighting for. That's what you and your families deserve."

The president thanked the Defense Department for their commitment to protecting the nation.

"On behalf of the American people, thank you for your service which keeps us free," Obama said. "And thank you for your sacrifice which keeps our nation and our military the greatest force for freedom that the world has ever known."

DEFENSE OFFICIAL SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS "STUPID"

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Carter Says Shutdown Would Be 'Disruptive, Stupid'
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2013 - The shutdown that looms if the government isn't funded beyond the end of the fiscal year at midnight tonight would be "disruptive and stupid," Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said here today.

Carter preceded a scheduled speech on India at the Center for American Progress with his thoughts on the impending shutdown.

"Let me just emphasize that the administration firmly believes that a shutdown can be avoided, should be avoided, and while we in the Department of Defense are fully prepared to deal with the shutdown if it occurs," he said, "it will be extremely disruptive and unfortunate, especially for the men and women who are defending this country who now have to worry about receiving their paychecks on time."

About half of the Defense Department's civilian personnel will be placed on no duty-no pay furloughs if the shutdown occurs, the deputy secretary said, noting that they already had been furloughed for more than a week earlier this year.

"This is no way to treat patriots working in our department and will cause serious harm to productivity and morale," Carter said.

Planning for the shutdown is itself disruptive, he added.

"We're spending thousands of hours on complex planning for a shutdown instead of spending this time more wisely and efficiently on addressing our national security challenges," he said.

The Defense Department is prepared to deal with the shutdown if it occurs, Carter said, just as it was prepared to deal with sequestration spending cuts.

"But a shutdown will be disruptive and harmful to the national security mission," he added. "We strongly urge the Congress to pass a budget and avoid a disruptive and stupid shutdown of the federal government."

DOD PREPARES FOR GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Memo Prepares DOD Employees for Government Shutdown
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2013 - Although Defense Department officials believe a government shutdown can be avoided when the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1, they want DOD employees to be prepared for the possibility, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a memo issued to the workforce today.

The fiscal year ends Sept. 30, and Congress has not passed a budget. If Congress does not approve a budget or pass a continuing resolution, the portions of the government funded via appropriated funds will be forced to close.

"The department remains hopeful that a government shutdown will be averted," Carter wrote in the memo. "The administration strongly believes that a lapse in funding should not occur and is working with Congress to find a solution."

Congress still can prevent a lapse in appropriations, but "prudent management requires that we be prepared for all contingencies, including the possibility that a lapse could occur at the end of the month," the deputy secretary wrote.

The absence of funding would mean a number of government activities would cease. "While military personnel would continue in a normal duty status, a large number of our civilian employees would be temporarily furloughed," Carter said. "To prepare for this possibility, we are updating our contingency plans for executing an orderly shutdown of activities that would be affected by a lapse in appropriations."

President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel understand the hardships such a shutdown could cause civilian employees, the deputy secretary wrote.

"The administration strongly believes that a lapse in funding should not occur and is working with Congress to find a solution," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters today. "The secretary has made it clear that budget uncertainty is not helpful for us in executing our budget efficiently, and a shutdown would be the worst type of uncertainty. A shutdown would put severe hardships on an already stressed workforce, and is totally unnecessary."

Carter vowed to provide more information as it becomes available. T