The Federal Communications Commission said it will shut down “most operations” in the middle of the day Thursday if the partial government shutdown continues.
“At that time, employees will have up to four hours to complete an orderly shutdown of operations. However, work required for the protection of life and property will continue,” the federal agency said in a statement late Tuesday.
In another document, the FCC offered details of what would happen during a shutdown.
“Consumer complaint and inquiry phone lines cannot be answered; consumer protection and local competition enforcement must cease; licensing services, including broadcast, wireless, and wireline, must cease; management of radio spectrum and the creation of new opportunities for competitive technologies and services for the American public must be suspended; and equipment authorizations, including those bringing new electronic devices to American consumers, cannot be provided,” the agency said.
The FCC said that after the four-hour wind-down, of the 1,442 workers “on board” before the shutdown plan was activated, only 245 employees would remain working — the rest would be furloughed.
About a quarter of the government has been shut down since Dec. 22 because of a stalemate between congressional Democrats and the White House over President Trump’s demand for a border wall.
The president is seeking $5 billion but Democrats are only willing to provide $1.3 billion for border security — and nothing for the wall.
Trump is expected to meet with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders at the White House later Wednesday to try to break the deadlock.