Rock Creek Roundup (April 7 Edition)

Posted by: Meagen Ryan, Director of Strategy Apr 08, 2011 0 Comments

This week, we’re focusing the Rock Creek Roundup on the story on top of every federal government employee’s mind: the impending government shutdown. How will the shutdown have an impact on employees, citizens, and government services? Here’s the latest:

—What happens to government websites if the government shutdown occurs? If they’re considered “necessary to avoid significant damage to the execution of authorized or accepted activities,” they’ll stay up and running, according to an email received by NextGov. That means that a site like IRS.gov would remain open, so that it people can still file taxes, while the Commerce Department website is likely to be unavailable. Other open government-focused sites like Data.gov and USASpending.gov are also candidates for being unplugged, but a clear list of “necessary” and “unnecessary” websites is not yet available.

—If and when the government shutdown occurs, federal workers and contractors will need access to the latest information on what’s happening, what might be happening, and how to handle things in the meantime. Federal Computer Week announced its plans to provide comprehensive coverage of the shutdown, vowing to provide up-to-date information on its website, its daily enewsletters, and its Twitter account. If you’re bookmarking sites to check for the latest information, you may want to consider them.

—The Twittersphere is abuzz with news and opinions about the impending government shutdown, and everyone has something to say. First, there’s late night talk show host and comedian Conan O’Brien, who finds humor in the fact that a new season of Jersey Shore is a definite but that a government shutdown is “up in the air”. Then, there’s a CNN tweet that links to a CNN iReport with a mom who is furious that she can make a household budget but that Congress can’t seem to do the same. Private industry is getting in on the conversation too, with DC-based Z Burgers offering furloughed Fed workers a free burger on Monday if the government shutdown occurs. Check out these and other interesting tweets, collected by Federal News Radio, on their website.

—And finally this week, the Washington Post examines the withdrawal symptoms likely to happen if “nonessential” federal workers are directed to turn in their BlackBerry smartphones, and explores exactly how that would be enacted. Never being far from my own smartphone, I can completely empathize with the federal workers who are nervously waiting to see if they’ll be keeping their constant communication devices or will have to surrender them at the door.
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Meagen Ryan

Director of Strategy

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