WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. federal courts are expected to run out of money on Feb. 1 after deferring non-critical operating costs and utilizing court filing fees and other available balances, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said Tuesday.
"No further extensions beyond Feb. 1 will be possible," the administrative agency said in a statement. "Most of the measures are temporary stopgaps, and the Judiciary will face many deferred payment obligations after the partial government shutdown ends."
In recent weeks, courts and federal public defender offices have delayed or deferred non-mission critical expenses, such as new hires, non-case related travel, and certain contracts, the office said, adding that judiciary employees are reporting to work and currently in full-pay status.
When the remaining funds run out, each court would determine the staff necessary to support its "mission critical work," the office said.
In response to requests by the Department of Justice, some federal courts have issued orders suspending or postponing civil cases in which the government is a party, the office said.
Department of Justice is among the nine Cabinet-level U.S. departments affected by the partial government shutdown, which resulted from an impasse between the White House and Congress over whether to provide billions of U.S. dollars for the construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall.
As the record-long shutdown enters its 32nd day on Tuesday, the White House and Democratic congressional leaders appeared to remain far apart on a deal to break the deadlock.
