On April 7, 2011, Venable partner John Cooney, who served as general counsel at the Office of Management and Budget during the 1995-1996 government shutdown, continued to share his insights into the pending government shutdown as the deadline to reach a spending plan agreement draws near.
A CNN Money article focused on the costs involved in a government shutdown and quoted Cooney as saying, "The longer a shutdown is in place, the more extensive the costs become."
A Bloomberg Government article cited Cooney’s explanation of the Food and Forage Act, an 1861 law which “was designed for the cavalry troop that was going through Dodge City and needed to get ammunition for its rifles and food for men and horses.” He noted that it is “a standing promise” by Congress to “fund any bill troops run up” to defend themselves. Cooney went on to explain that “Medicare and Social Security would continue to pay benefits to elderly Americans because they don’t depend on year-to-year spending measures from Congress.”
Additionally, Cooney was quoted in a Federal Computer Week (FCW) article, stating, “the first person who will get that call will be the director of the National Parks Service. The White House really wants the Washington Monument and everything else shut down." He went on to state that “the president can turn public opinion his way by showing how ordinary people, such as schoolchildren visiting Washington, DC, are affected by budget battles in Congress.”
A CNN Money article focused on the costs involved in a government shutdown and quoted Cooney as saying, "The longer a shutdown is in place, the more extensive the costs become."
A Bloomberg Government article cited Cooney’s explanation of the Food and Forage Act, an 1861 law which “was designed for the cavalry troop that was going through Dodge City and needed to get ammunition for its rifles and food for men and horses.” He noted that it is “a standing promise” by Congress to “fund any bill troops run up” to defend themselves. Cooney went on to explain that “Medicare and Social Security would continue to pay benefits to elderly Americans because they don’t depend on year-to-year spending measures from Congress.”
Additionally, Cooney was quoted in a Federal Computer Week (FCW) article, stating, “the first person who will get that call will be the director of the National Parks Service. The White House really wants the Washington Monument and everything else shut down." He went on to state that “the president can turn public opinion his way by showing how ordinary people, such as schoolchildren visiting Washington, DC, are affected by budget battles in Congress.”