SCOTUS says they will run out of money as government shutdown drags on
Funding will also dry up for federal courts on Monday, which will perform only 'limited operations necessary to perform the Judiciary's constitutional functions'
The extended government shutdown and its funding fallout has reached the Supreme Court, which expects to run out of money by early next week along with federal courts across the United States.
While the building will remain open for public business, it will be closed to the public "until further notice," Supreme Court Public Information Officer Patricia McCabe told The Hill. “The Supreme Court will continue to conduct essential work such as hearing oral arguments, issuing orders and opinions, processing case filings, and providing police and building support needed for those operations," she said.
Funding will allegedly dry up for federal courts on Oct. 20, according to a statement from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Until the shutdown is resolved, the courts will maintain "limited operations necessary to perform the Judiciary's constitutional functions."
"Federal judges will continue to serve, in accordance with the Constitution, but court staff may only perform certain excepted activities permitted under the Anti-Deficiency Act," the statement said. "Excepted work will be performed without pay during the funding lapse. Staff members not performing expected work will be placed on furlough."
This excepted work includes functions that address the safety of human life and protection of property, the statement said."Individual courts will determine which cases will continue on schedule, and which may be delayed."
It is unclear when the shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, will come to an end. Democrats have held firm in their demands to extend critical health insurance subsidies and to end Trump’s attempts to cancel congressionally approved spending before they approve a budget.
The Trump administration, meanwhile, has used federal employees' out-of-office automated emails, government websites and video messaging intended to be played inside airports to blame the shutdown on Democrats, in some cases using racist imagery to falsely claim Democrats want to fund health insurance for non-citizens.
As the shutdown quickly approaches the second-longest on record, there does not appear to be an end in sight. The longest government shutdown was 35 days, and occurred during President Donald Trump's first term.
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats “are not going to bend and we’re not going to break because we are standing up for the American people.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune reaffirmed that negotiations on health benefits would only come after the shutdown ends. “We’re not conducting negotiations in a hostage situation,” he said.
The battle over health insurance subsidies comes after Trump's domestic spending bill cut federal spending on Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits by $1.02 trillion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. At least 10.5 million people are expected to be eliminated from the programs by 2034.