When it comes to the longest federal government shutdown in history, Ryan Broderick, co-owner of Newtown’s Reverie Brewing Co, is looking on the bright side.

Broderick told The Newtown Bee on December 14 that the brewpub at 57B Church Hill Road had long ago completed the necessary federal paperwork and obtained the necessary clearances from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF), so the establishment could commence brewing and selling a line of its malt beverages.

“We got kind of lucky in that we did our ATF application, which is basically the fed’s application allowing us to brew beer onsite, over last summer,” he said. If the shutdown somehow extends into the spring, however, the company’s inability to process other federal applications will restrict its ability to can and sell its brews for customers to take out and enjoy at home.

“If this was to drag on, we couldn’t offer can sales, even on the beers that were approved to sell here, because we’d need the fed to approve the can labels,” he said.

Mr Broderick also indicated that the company was not so lucky regarding its progress toward also proffering a line of cider to its thirsty patrons.

“Technically, the production of cider requires a winery license, and unfortunately, that one is stuck with the fed, so we won’t be able to offer cider during our upcoming grand opening,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that we can’t sell cider on time, but we’re glad it wasn’t the other way around and we couldn’t sell our beers.”

A mile or so to the east, at Asylum Brewing Co at Fairfield Hills, the fed shutdown has stalled the company’s Small Business Association loan process, according to operator David Kingsley.

“In our case, our financing is partially secured, in conjunction with our bank, by an SBA loan,” he said. “The application was submitted the day before the government shutdown, and the SBA is part of the shutdown. We are confident it will be approved when they get back to work, but in the meantime, we wait.”

That waiting process is also impacting federally guaranteed loans that are facilitated by or processed through Newtown Savings Bank.

NSB President and CEO Ken Weinstein told The Newtown Bee, “We are seeing some limited effects.”

Mr Weinstein said specifically, the origination of certain types of loans, such as those guaranteed by the Small Business Administration, have been impacted.

“Some other initial concerns, such as those related to getting a home loan, have been addressed by the government,” the NSB official said. “And of course, there are individual customers impacted by the furlough or other impacts of the shutdown. As always, we stand ready to work with any of our customers who might be impacted by the government shutdown or any other circumstance.”

Relief For Some

Additional relief may also come to government employees and contractors through a hastily arranged initiative announced by Governor Ned Lamont late in the day on January 15.

A public-private partnership between the State of Connecticut and private banks, led by Webster Bank and supported by the Connecticut Bankers Association, will enable essential federal workers who are required to report to work without pay to receive unemployment assistance.

In addition, the governor is working with legislative leadership to emergency certify a bill that would ensure Connecticut is able to take advantage of any decision by the federal government to permit essential workers to collect earned unemployment insurance benefits. Lastly, Governor Lamont urged non-essential employees, who are not required to report to work, to access state unemployment benefits by contacting the Connecticut Department of Labor at [naviga:u]ctdol.state.ct.us[/naviga:u] or their local American Job Center.

“Federal workers — regardless of their employment classification — are hurting while the federal government is shut down,” Lamont said. “This is particularly true for those employees who must still report to work and incur the cost of commuting and other work-related costs without receiving a paycheck. The action I am announcing today will help federal workers affected by the shutdown understand the benefits to which they are entitled and pay the bills that they and their families are incurring.

“In addition, I have convened a public-private partnership whereby banks in Connecticut, led by Webster Bank and supported by the Connecticut Bankers Association, will provide loans to those workers who are unable to qualify for unemployment insurance,” Gov Lamont added. “This is a great example of the business community stepping up to help the state’s citizens, and I am grateful to them for their assistance. Working together, we can ensure that federal workers receive the money necessary for critical expenses even while the federal government shutdown remains at an impasse.”

Gov Lamont’s action includes:

*For workers who are non-essential and are not required to report to work: Governor Lamont urges these workers to contact the Connecticut Department of Labor or their local American Job Center, as they are eligible for unemployment assistance during the shutdown.

*For workers who are essential and are required to report to work: Governor Lamont announced a public-private partnership to access no-interest loans from private banks while the government is shutdown. In addition, he is working with legislative leadership to emergency certify a bill that would ensure Connecticut is able to take advantage of any decision by the federal government to permit essential workers to collect earned unemployment insurance benefits.

*For both classifications of workers: Governor Lamont is encouraging municipalities to delay collecting property taxes from affected employees.

Residents looking to learn more about their unemployment assistance eligibility and those who would like to apply should contact the Connecticut Department of Labor online or contact their local American Job Center. US Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) remarked, “I will fully support Governor Lamont’s efforts to reform state law and urge expeditious approval by the US Department of Labor of any waiver to grant unemployment compensation to these impacted workers.

"Make no mistake, these employees deserve a paycheck for the vital services they are providing to the American public. So long as the President’s shutdown continues, the least we can do is ensure impacted workers have full access to unemployment compensation to pay their mounting bills," he added. "More than 1,500 federal employees in Connecticut have been made political pawns by a petulant President pandering to his political base. Let’s reopen the government now, and then have a real conversation and debate about effective border security and comprehensive immigration reform."

On January 14, Senator Blumenthal met with federal TSA and FAA workers at Bradley International Airport where he backed their efforts to secure unemployment compensation. His office has been in contact with the Connecticut Department of Labor and the United States Department of Labor in support of such efforts.

Compensation Promised

Two days later, Sen Blumenthal was scheduled to join federal workers in Hartford to introduce new legislation to enable unemployment compensation for workers on the job without pay during the government shutdown. On that twenty-seventh day of the partial federal shutdown, he joined the Connecticut Congressional Delegation dispatching a letter to US Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta urging the agency to take immediate steps to extend unemployment compensation to federal employees in Connecticut who are working without pay.

“In Connecticut, there are approximately 1,500 federal employees who are either furloughed or working without pay. Many of these employees have expressed how they are unable to pay their bills and how this financial stress is affecting their personal and professional lives,” the Delegation wrote in the letter to Secretary Acosta.

“This shutdown – despite some comments to the contrary – has had very real impacts on the public, and especially on the federal workers who are either furloughed or working without pay. While ideally, these workers would be paid their hard earned salaries, at the very least they should be able to access unemployment compensation benefits,” the Delegation added.

The Delegation pressed the Labor Department to provide guidance to states like Connecticut on how to provide unemployment compensation benefits to federal employees working without pay, waive the work search requirement for furloughed employees and those working without pay who are paid unemployment compensation, and authorize states to provide lenient procedures for those employees to repay those benefits upon return to paid work.

In the letter, the Delegation also reiterated support for existing requests to aid federal workers during the federal shutdown, including Governor Ned Lamont’s efforts to change Connecticut’s unemployment compensation laws.