Rapid Fire Sept. 30, 2013: Media Runs Out of Pithy Shutdown Headlines

• With a 423-0 roll call, the US House of Representatives passed H.R. 3210, a bill making continuing appropriations for military pay in the event of a government shutdown. It looks likely to pass the Senate. Today is the final day for roundtrip(s) between the two chambers to agree on a continuing resolution before FY2014 indeed starts with a shutdown. Such a last-minute agreement does not seem very likely.

• The White House gathered federal agency contingency plans in one place, while USA Today has a Q&A on government shutdowns. Somehow the country will survive, but the October 17 debt ceiling deadline is more serious.

• Gordon Adams from the Stimson Center calls that “groundhog day on steroids” in the Defense News video below. (Side note to Vago Muradian: the US Navy says you can officially stop TALKING IN ALL CAPS.)

• Peter Munson, a former US Marine Corps major who recently moved to civilian employement, offers a list of military transition pointers. He advises to start planning very early: