UPDATE: The president signed a bill Monday evening to reopen the federal government; however,the funding has been reinstated only until February 8, 2018.  Stay tuned for further developments.

UPDATE: As of 12:30pm Central time Monday, January 22, a deal was reached in the Senate to reopen the federal government, and the chamber is on track to pass a plan to keep the government funded for three weeks.  For more information:  CNN Headline News

UPDATE: As of Monday morning, January 22, the Senate is set to hold a key procedural vote on a bill to reopen the government and fund it until February 8, 2018.  A White House briefing is scheduled for 12:30pm Central time.

Friday, January 19:  As of 2pm Central time, a shutdown of the federal government looms.  If a resolution is not reached in Congress within the next nine hours, the shutdown will take place.  CNN has a countdown clock running; you can find it here: CNN countdown clock

As the P&A system is funded primarily through federal grants, a shutdown of the federal government can have a devastating impact on a P&A’s ability to provide services, particularly the longer a shutdown lasts.  While some P&A’s have alternate funding sources and reserves to handle a brief funding crisis, anything but a very short interruption can critically impact the ability of a P&A  to provide services to people with disabilities.

We would like our clients to know that Disability Rights Arkansas is committed in our advocacy for Arkansans with disabilities. As such, DRA will remain open as long as we are able to continue our mission, and we anxiously await a resolution to this latest crisis.