In the event of a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be furloughed, not knowing if or when they'd get paid. Their paychecks would ultimately depend upon the benevolence of a fractious Congress, which decides whether to pass legislation retroactively paying workers for their lost time.

But at least 535 civil servants in Washington don't have to worry about missed mortgage payments or mounting credit card debt due to a shutdown: the very members of Congress who threaten to grind government to a halt.

The salaries of Congress members, like the president, come from a pool of mandatory funds and aren't subject to the whims of lawmakers. If a shutdown happens, their checks keep coming, no matter what.

As a report issued this week by the Congressional Research Service puts it, "Due to their constitutional responsibilities and a permanent appropriation for congressional pay, Members of Congress are not subject to furlough."

This cruel irony isn't lost on the federal workers who stand to lose pay but for an act of Congress, most of whose members earn $174,000 a year.

"When the government shuts down, employees don't get paid," Colleen Kelley, head of the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 150,000 federal workers, said Friday. "No matter how much Congress does not work, it still does get paid."

The GOP-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill last week that made government funding contingent upon defunding the Affordable Care Act. On Friday, after days of showmanship by Obamacare opponents, the Democratic-controlled Senate sent the funding legislation back to the House after stripping the Obamacare provision. It's now up to House leaders whether to force a shutdown.

During the last shutdown, in 1995 and 1996, Congress later passed legislation that made workers whole for the days they were furloughed. This time around, union leaders and workers aren't sure Congress will be so merciful in an era of budget squabbles, even if members themselves are guaranteed to get paid.

【新闻快讯】

近来由于奥巴马医改争议，驴、象两党之争难解难分；受此影响，美国联邦政府可能被迫17年来首次停摆。在历史上，美国面临过大大小小的政府关闭十多次，但是联邦政府直接关门却屈指可数。

本次，当美国联邦政府冲向午夜的关门期限时，联邦职员也将面临强制休假。上千名职员会面临怎样的命运？有谁依然要坚守工作岗位，有多少人得休假。或许最受关注的还是，是不是带薪休假呢？在政府关闭期间，将要上班的工作人员有，军人，边境控制部门，交通管制部门，国会和总统等。相关人士提到，一旦政府关闭，部分政府公务员将被失业，还有部分公务员，不管是否上班，都领不到薪水。

空管，危险品处理，食品检验员等关键部门以外的政府雇员需要放假回家，按照此前的经验，政府开张后会补发休假薪水。华盛顿特区的垃圾站也将停止服务，护照申领部门也有可能停工。

如果你是等待政府贷款的小业主，等待吧；如果你想贷款买房，等待吧；如果你是退伍军人，你的支票也许会迟到；如果你是社保领取者，你可能无须担心。

军人继续保护公民安全，将在政府关门结束后领导军饷。邮政部门继续工作。处于风暴中心的医疗部门，将继续提供服务。

上一次的联邦政府关闭发生在克林顿总统的第一任期，是美国历史上关闭时间最长的记录。28万多政府员工被下岗，约48万核心雇员在没有薪水的情况下继续工作。退伍军人福利延迟发放，近600个垃圾站停止清理工作。联邦政府在1995年11员额中旬也关闭过6天，导致80万联邦政府雇员停止工作。国会研究事务处表示，政府关闭话了纳税人14亿美元。美国旅游业和航空业遭遇巨大打击，政府合同收到不利影响。