Here's a question for APS members:
Unless you were on vacation and found a national park gate closed or the doors to the Smithsonian locked, would you have even been AWARE of the previous "government shutdowns" without news reports?
How much legitimate control does a President have over a shutdown? i.e. can he use EOs to force departments to use what funds they have in specific ways, to, say, eliminate guided tours of sites while leaving the gates open and LE rangers on duty for self-guided activities?
Seems FedGov took the budget cut playbook from cities previously; first hit are highly visible, important things, while the mayor's personal hairdresser and travel budget are untouchable. If he could force some fat trimming, then say "look; none of you give a tenth of a damn that the assistant to the assistant secretary to the assistant director of ____ no longer has a tricked out Gulfstream permanently reserved for his use, a liquor budget and five assistants, so how about telling your Congress members to cut that out of their budget permanently," that would be a pretty good rabbit up his sleeve.
