News / Shipper complaints on hold as FMC shuts down

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Box lines may be breathing a sigh of relief, temporarily, after the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) announced its doors would be shut for the duration of the latest US government shutdown.

Funding for a plethora of agencies ended at midnight on Saturday, leaving the FMC one among many agencies that have placed all but a few of their core staff on furlough until a funding package is agreed in Congress.

An FMC statement noted: “With the exception of chairman DiBella and commissioners Dye, Maffei, and Vekich, who are presidentially appointed officials, employees have been placed on furlough and are prohibited by law from performing any duties during the shutdown.”

It added that “the commission will resume normal operations when appropriations legislation is enacted, and the federal government reopens”, but would “not accept or act on complaints or requests for dispute resolution or ombudsman services during the government shutdown”.

Coming just a few days on from Ms DiBella’s appointment as FMC chair, there are no indications the shuttering of services points to anything deeper, even if sources have suggested her agenda could be built around President Trump’s favoured “bonfire of regulation” approach.

One source told The Loadstar: “There is nothing to see here. I was even warned of it by somebody there. I guess it’s not considered essential, so it gets shut down every time there’s a government shutdown.”

Sara Dandan, founder of maritime law firm FourOneOne, said that with the FMC shutdown she was left feeling “very bad” for her clients, noting that they “have been waiting a long time for justice and now have to wait longer”.

“But I also feel bad for the people of the FMC who are not working or getting paid. What a mess. Justice delayed is justice denied,” she added.