People who believe it is healthy and prudent to worry, or who aren’t happy unless they are miserable, should consider a career with the federal government. Because …

It’s always something. There is nearly always some dark cloud approaching, or a threat — to pay, benefits or the job itself — if you work for Uncle Sam. The something or somethings is usually triggered either by the board of directors (the Congress) or the CEO (the President). Either something they did, or wanted to do, or something they don’t want to happen.

Like now …

For the ninth time in 19 years and the second time in 13 months, the government has run out of authority to borrow. As a result, the Treasury Department has been forced to employ what it calls “extraordinary measures ” to keep the government running. Congress must OK any increase in the debt limit.

The bottom line is that the Treasury is “disinvesting” the G- Fund (Treasury securities) of the federal workers’ 401k plan. The G-Fund is the largest in the federal Thrift Savings Plan. The total value of the TSP’s funds is $451 billion as of last month. The largest chunk of investment money — $194 billion — was in the G-Fund.

During the recession, when many stock funds tanked, hundreds of thousands of federal and postal investors pulled money out of the stock- indexed C, S and I funds and moved it into the less volatile G-Fund.

The G-Fund year-to-date return is 0.3 percent, compared to 3.5 percent for the small-cap S-Fund and 3.4 percent for the international stock I-Fund.

There have been many news stories that the government is somehow borrowing or raiding from the G-Fund to keep going. Several readers have asked what happens if Congress doesn’t raise the debt ceiling limit? Good question, although it never has before.

Kim Weaver, spokeswoman for the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, said, “As always, we want to remind our participants that the G-Fund will be made whole once the debt ceiling issue is resolved and that participants will not lose a penny, thanks to the statutory protections afforded to the TSP.”

If it is any comfort, remember that many if not most members of Congress, their staffers and most government workers at all levels have money in the TSP. And once this crisis is again resolved, another threat will appear to take its place. It goes with the job.

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID:

By Michael O’Connell

Francisco Domingo Joaquim of Angola holds the world’s record for the widest measured mouth at 6.69 inches.

Source: Guinness World Records

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