Less than six hours before the midnight deadline, the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a bill to keep the government running through March 14, apparently averting a government shutdown that would have been a blow to Virginia.
If the U.S. Senate concurs, government offices will open as usual on Monday, a wide range of government services will continue and some 140,000 Virginians who work for the federal government will be paid on schedule for their work.
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That includes thousands in Central Virginia.
After two failed attempts earlier in the week, the House backed Republican Speaker Mike Johnson's latest temporary spending measure 366-34, with one member voting present. The measure includes $100 billion in disaster relief and $10 billion to aid farmers. It does not include President-elect Donald Trump's push to lift the debt ceiling.
Outgoing Republican Rep. Bob Good, of Virginia's 5th District, was the only member of Virginia's House delegation to vote no.
Republican Rep. Rob Wittman, of Virginia's 1st, said in a statement: "This legislation averts a costly government shutdown that would handcuff the new administration. It also provides much-needed assistance for farmers and relief for those severely impacted by devastating hurricanes."
He added: "We have a responsibility to ensure government functions responsibly and effectively for the American people -- shutting down the government is irresponsible and wastes taxpayer dollars."
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat from the 7th District who is leaving Congress to run for governor, said in a statement: "While I was relieved to vote alongside a bipartisan majority of my colleagues to keep our government running and provide long overdue disaster relief to communities across Virginia, I know the Virginians I represent are frustrated by the political games and the repetitive cycle of chaos."
Virginia officials had expressed concerns that a government shutdown would hit the commonwealth hard. Spanberger, whose Northern Virginia-based district includes thousands of federal employees and contractors, said a shutdown would have been "catastrophic."
Virginia's stakes
In an extended shutdown many of Virginia's federal workers would be furloughed, and the rest -- including Defense Department employees at Rivanna Station and Federal Aviation Administration at Charlottesville Albemarle Airport -- would work but would not be paid on time.
However, affected federal employees would receive back pay under legislation that U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, shepherded into law after a 35-day shutdown of part of the government under Trump from the end of 2018 into 2019.
"All federal employees -- no federal contractors -- are guaranteed back pay," Kaine told the Richmond Times-Dispatch Friday afternoon, arguing that it removes any financial advantage to the government from sending people home. "It is an effective guardrail against shutdowns, but it's not a guarantee."
Congress will now deal separately with a proposal to raise the debt ceiling, a measure that Trump wants to give him room to push a tax cut package that would increase the debt and cost of government borrowing.
"The fact that it will not have the debt ceiling limit in it will make it easier to sell in the Senate," said Kaine.
An extended shutdown, which now appears averted, would touch all Virginians' daily lives, but some things would continue.
Social Security checks would keep coming.
But because about 15% of Social Security Administration staff would be furloughed, that could slow processing of applications for benefits, determination of disability claims and replacement of Medicare cards.
Mail would be delivered. The Postal Service relies on revenue from its services and the sale of its stamps and other products, not tax dollars.
While federal air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration agents are vital to keeping flights and passengers moving and safe, "based on similar past events, we anticipate little to no direct impact to airport operations" in the case of a shutdown, said Richmond International Airport spokesman Troy Bell.
Veteran pensions, disability benefits and education and housing benefits would continue, a Veterans Affairs spokesman said.
Veterans would continue to get care at the Richmond VA Medical Center, the VA hospitals in Hampton and Salem and the Richmond Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, one of the five facilities in the country designed to provide intensive rehabilitative care to veterans and active-duty military personnel who experienced severe injuries to more than one organ system.
But most VA outreach programs -- career counseling and transition assistance, for instance -- would not be available.
And while burials at VA cemeteries would continue, grounds maintenance at the Richmond National Cemetery in the Fulton neighborhood as well as Fort Harrison, Glendale, Cold Harbor and Seven Pines National Cemeteries would not.
A shutdown would "affect every Virginian in different ways," Kaine said.
Federal courts would stay open.
So would military bases and support operations, including Fort Gregg-Adams outside Petersburg and the U.S. Defense Supply Center Richmond, where 3,000 people work at the Defense Logistics Agency's aviation command, as well as in the headquarters of 80th Training Command, the Army School System.
But Kaine's office said a shutdown would delay work on Virginia class and Columbia class submarines at the Newport News shipyard.
All FBI agents and professional support staff at the Richmond field office would remain on the job. Virginians would still be able to give tips on possible violations of federal laws, said Leslie C. McLane, the office's public affairs officer.
Doctors, clinics and hospitals would be paid for services to Medicare recipients.
The flow of money between banks that the Richmond Federal Reserve Bank oversees would continue.
The bank keeps money moving by operating an automated clearinghouse service, transferring funds and securities, providing a multilateral settlement service, and operating a round-the-clock payment and settlement service to support instant payments in the U.S.
The last shutdown cost the national economy $8 billion in gross domestic product in the first quarter of 2019 -- a decline of 0.02% -- and $3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
When the outcome appeared uncertain, the National Park Service said it was working to determine what to do at specific parks, including the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Colonial National Historic Park and Fort Monroe National Monument.
The Smithsonian Institution and National Zoo had enough money from last year to operate through next Thursday -- although the institutions are closed on Christmas Day. A shutdown apparently would not affect the public introduction of the National Zoo's newest immigrants from China -- Bao Li and Qing Bao -- panda bears that will make their debut on Jan. 24, four days after the inauguration of Trump and three weeks after a new Congress begins its work.
"I just think the timing is horrible," Kaine said, citing the potential disruption in pay and holiday travel plans. "There's no good time for a shutdown, but I would argue that the end of December would be the worst."