The federal government shutdown is entering its tenth day with no end in sight, as Congress remains paralyzed by disputes over spending priorities. But even as Washington stands still, one piece of broadcast legislation has managed to find a new voice.
The VOICES Act, short for Voices of Inclusion in Communications and Equity Stability, has gained a new co-sponsor during the shutdown. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) joined on October 3, making her the first non-original co-sponsor. Introduced by Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), the bill seeks to revive the Minority Tax Certificate program, which from 1978 to 1995 helped facilitate hundreds of broadcast ownership transfers to women and people of color.
All 50 state broadcaster associations, the National Association of Broadcasters, and civil rights organizations, including the National Urban League, NABOB, LULAC, and MMTC, have endorsed the measure. While committee work is paused until the government reopens, the act’s continued support underscores that ownership diversity remains on the legislative radar, even in the middle of a shutdown.
Meanwhile, the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act has seen no movement since Congress adjourned for the fall. The bill, which would require automakers to include free over-the-air AM reception in all new vehicles, risks losing visibility and momentum in the legislative shuffle.
At the Federal Communications Commission, the shutdown’s toll is stark. Under its contingency plan, only 244 of the agency’s roughly 1,300 employees remain on duty, focusing solely on functions deemed essential to protect life and property: outage reporting, interference mitigation, cybersecurity, and facility security.
That leaves nearly 1,000 staffers furloughed without pay and now uncertain whether they will ever receive it.
In a memo circulated on Tuesday, the White House signaled that federal workers might not receive guaranteed back pay when the shutdown ends, a reversal from the practice President Donald Trump himself signed into law in 2019. The Office of Management and Budget wrote that now “back pay must be provided by Congress, if it chooses to do so.”
President Trump reinforced the threat at a White House event, saying, “There are some people that don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’ll take care of them in a different way.”
Whether that will apply to the FCC remains to be seen. OMB’s additional guidance instructing agencies to “use this opportunity to consider Reduction in Force” raised further fears that some furloughs could become permanent if the shutdown drags on.
For radio operators, the Commission’s Licensing and Management System remains paused, effectively halting processing or public knowledge of pending applications, extensions, and sales.
