Your Take – Will There be a Government Shutdown?

We recently asked readers in a non-scientific poll if they thought a government shutdown would take place. The results were generally not very upbeat.

The possibility of a government shutdown seems increasingly ominous. Each day, news hits the wires about a possible shutdown and its potential effects.  We asked readers their opinion – will there be a shutdown, or is it all hype?

Based on the response of several thousand readers, the results were not very upbeat; 52.2% of those that responded in the non-scientific survey said a shutdown would happen, while 30.9% said no and 16.9% weren’t sure.

We posed two additional questions about a potential shutdown.  These questions and their responses are outlined below.

If there is a shutdown, which political party do you think will realize a political benefit from the action?

 Republicans  22.9%
 Democrats  25%
 Both  10.3%
 Neither  41.8

If there is a shutdown, do you anticipate that federal
employees will be paid for the time the government is not open for business?

 Yes  45.2%
 No  38%
 Undecided  16.9%

Despite the negative outlook on the shutdown, there was a slightly more upbeat view on retaining pay during a shutdown.  If the last shutdown is any indicator, this view is probably justifiable.

It is unlikely to know with any certainty until at least next week if a shutdown is likely to happen, but we will continue to keep our readers informed of the events as they unfold.

About the Author

Ian Smith is one of the co-founders of FedSmith.com. He enjoys writing about current topics that affect the federal workforce.