Shutdown Update: Senate votes to debate spending

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:

• As the days tick by the likelihood of a government shutdown goes up. So what does that mean for you, the government employee? What does it really mean to you in a legal sense? Will you get paid? Are you essential or nonessential? What will happen if the government actually shuts down? We get answers from Attorney Debra Roth.

GovLoop’s DorobekINSIDER shutdown reader — what you need to know about budgets, shutdown, the debt fight — and what it means to you.

The Senate moved to take up a House-passed temporary spending bill that defunds President Obama’s health-care law, despite Sen. Ted Cruz’s more than 21-hour attempt to delay the legislation. Shortly after 1 p.m., the funding bill passed its first procedural hurdle in the Senate, which voted unanimously to invoke cloture on a motion to proceed on the House’s continuing resolution. The Senate now is scheduled to hold up to 30 hours of debate on the funding bill. The development came after Cruz (R-Tex.) ended his marathon talking attack on the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law more than three years ago, at noon Wednesday when he ran into a deadline imposed by Senate rules, allowing the body to take up the funding bill aimed at averting a looming government shutdown.

• Washington Post: Senate votes to proceed with funding bill

• CNN: Senate votes to debate spending

• National Journal: Shutdown threat has agencies in scramble mode

• Federal Times: Defense Department warns employees about possible shutdown

• Federal Times: Report shows majority of employees exempt from shutdown

• White House: Full list of agency furlough contingency plans

• Military Times: No mid-October paycheck for troops is government shutdown

• Washington Post: How would a shutdown affect federal workers?

• Washington Post: ‘Nonessential’ label is upsetting to federal workers

• Washington Post: Shutdown would hit contractors

• Washington Post: All 17 federal shutdowns explained

• Politico: Jack Lew: Debt ceiling no later than October 17th

• GovLoop: Looming gov shutdown – Are you ready? 4 Steps to prepare

DorobekINSIDER water-cooler fodder

• Verge: Machine language: how Siri found its voice: Inside the art of making computers talk
• Popsci: Why We’re Shutting Off Our Comments
• How tech can make government more honest. Summary: A pilot program is underway in Jersey City, NJ to track employees’ use of city vehicles. As a New Jersey taxpayer I can only rejoice. Government ought to use tech more aggressively at all levels to fight waste and fraud.