10 thoughts on “America shutdown its citizens abroad”

1. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul caught on a hot mike talking about the Republican shut down strategy:

   “I think if we keep saying, ‘We wanted to defund it, we fought for that, but now we’re willing to compromise on this,’ Paul said. “I know we don’t want to be here, but we’re going to win this I think.”

   Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/mitch-mcconnell-rand-paul-government-shutdown-97795.html#ixzz2gnOqwL1B

2. Premise for Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – a film based on a character developed by the late Tom Clancy – Jack Ryan, as a young covert CIA analyst, uncovers a Russian plot to crash the U.S. economy with a terrorist attack.

   Another attempt by liberal Hollywood to divert attention to the fact that the United States Government is attempting to do exactly what the film accuses the Soviets of doing. Using terrorist tactics to destabilize the economies not of the United States, but of the entire world through FATCA. And the liberal lemming masses will gobble this up and say yet again, “How great we are be able to have the technology to defend ourselves when this kind of thing is threatened.” The “awake” can draw parallels between celluloid and real life and this unfortunately with FATCA looming hits too damned close to real-life.

   I’ve always disliked Hollywood: very rarely does anything of value come out of there and this is why I refuse to watch anything that comes out of brainless teeming masses at Tinseltown except for maybe Star Wars. With the way that the United States is becoming – they seem to resemble the Galactic Empire up to and including Palpatine (Obama).

3. I’ve updated the post. Americans expats are not totally shutdown by the US government:

   The State Department would continue processing foreign applications for visas and U.S. applications for passports, since fees are collected to finance those services.
   http://www.newstimes.com/news/politics/article/Shutdown-impact-Tourists-homebuyers-hit-quickly-4869559.php

4. Another rebuttal for those who say paying US taxes abroad covers US passport services.

5. and, in http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/renunciation/comment-page-57/#comment-561011
   WhatAmI says

   October 1, 2013 at 11:02 am

   The Calgary consulate website says they’re still open with the lapse in government:

   Lapse in U.S. Government Funding

   The U.S. Embassy and Consulates General in Canada are open, and Consular and American Citizen Services are operating normally. For additional information please consult our website Canada.USEmbassy.gov or Travel.State.Gov. For border information please check the Customs and Border Protection website at CBP.gov.

6. “The Department of State will continue passport and visa operations as well as provide critical services to U.S. citizens overseas. These activities are fee-funded and are not affected by the lapse in appropriations.”

   However,

   “C. Consular Operations Domestically and Overseas: Consular operations domestically and overseas will remain 100% operational as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations. However, if a passport agency is located in a government building affected by a lapse in appropriations, the facility may become unsupported. The continuance of consular operations in such instances will be treated on a case-by-case basis by the Under Secretary for Management.”

7. From Just Me: Can’t Stop The Machine: During Shutdown, IRS Computers Still Churn Out Tax Liens, Levies And Bills http://onforb.es/1f6dqne via @forbes

   I loved that it was pointed out:

   Taxgirl, after studying the IRS’ preliminary shutdown plan, reported that National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson and 44 of her employees would continue working. But in the IRS’ final shutdown plan, released Monday afternoon, not a single employee dedicated to protecting taxpayer rights was included in the 8,824 (out of workforce of 94,516 ) kept on the job.

   That unfortunate change was called to my attention by Olson herself, who emphasized she was “merely exercising my free speech rights as a citizen’’ and using her personal cell phone to do so. “I’m sitting at home with my two cats and my knitting,’’ she quipped. Olson wasn’t just being cute; it would be a violation the Antideficiency Act of 1884 for her to speak on her government issued Blackberry (she didn’t) or in her official capacity (she didn’t). A violation could get her fired, fined or thrown in jail.
   …

   Olson, for her part, is using her free time to write an appeal of her furlough. Among her arguments: that the 1998 Taxpayer Bill of Rights, which created her job and gave it some independence, creates a statutory authorization for what she does, outside of annual appropriations. “Congress created my office to make sure the tax collection activities went forward properly,” she says. “If we’re going to have tax collections (during the shutdown), we have to make sure the tax collections are legal.”

8. Does anyone know if the guys doing CLN processing back in D.C. are laid off, or not?

9. @ Michael,

   I don’t know the answer, but I see no one’s replied yet. So, though I have no definite answer, these are my thoughts on it.

   I read this on the Washington Post site

   “… FEDERAL SERVICES
   PROBABLY OPEN
   Consular operations domestically and overseas will remain 100% operational as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations. However, if a passport agency is located in a government building affected by a lapse in appropriations, the facility may become unsupported. … “

   Which led to a State Dept memo, “Guidance on Operations During a Lapse in Appropriations” (rather lengthy, I didn’t read it all).
   http://www.state.gov/m/rls/2013/214880.htm

   I don’t know how the shutdown affects issuance of CLNs. I can’t see it would be considered an essential service (to the US govt), but as it’s handled by American Citizen Services I think it may fall under “Consular operations domestically.” But then again, the building, being located in DC, may be one “affected by a lapse in appropriations.” So, I’m pretty clueless.

   At any rate, until you get your CLN, you have your $450 receipt as “interim proof” of your renunciation. MedeaFleecestealer, who lives in Switzerland,reported
   that when her bank required proof she was not a USC,

   “… I was able to tell the bank I’d renounced and they gave me more time to allow the CLN to be produced. …”

   I think her bank took her at her word, but if necessary the receipt would back up a person’s word that a CLN is in processing.

   As well if you’re planning to enter the US on your Canadian passport, generally it’s not been a problem so far. But also DHS/CBP knows that your CLN is in processing.

   Schubert wrote:

   “… once you have applied for a CLN, renunciation OR relinquishment, the State Department creates a computer file with at least some of the particulars of your application, presumably at minimum name, date and place of birth, and when you had your interview. They do this during your interview, at least they did in my wife’s case. Your file indicates that you’ve sworn the appropriate oath and your CLN is pending review; once the CLN is approved, that fact presumably is then added. The US border people have access to that database on their computers. They should know that you’ve applied for a CLN.
   I know this because the vice-consul conducting her CLN interview told this to my wife, who reported the conversation to me as soon as she met me outside the building. …”

   Thanks for sharing your story in the BBC article. Hope you get your CLN soon. Til then you should be okay, though.

10. Thanks for this.

    I argued for a relinquishment however, and it rather bothered me that I left the building with zero proof that I had even been there(!) There is no fee for relinquishment as I discovered from this site, and in fact no money was either asked for or given. The downside is there’s no receipt either.

    Good to know about the border database; I may go for family reasons for a brief visit and was worried about not having any proof.