Budget Shutdown Causes BlackBerry Dilemma

Never mind how to fix the budget; how do you fit the BlackBerry into an archaic act?

How does the BlackBerry fit into the Antideficiency Act of 1884? That’s what Capitol Hill is trying to figure out during the current U.S. budget crisis. The act, passed by Chester Arthur’s administration, prevents non-essential federal employees from working when the government doesn’t have a budget from which to pay them. If the government were to shut down, 800,000 federal employees would be breaking the law if they checked their work email. But in the digital age of constant communication, how can that be enforced? One extreme option would be to shut down government email servers, but, truthfully, no one has found a foolproof answer to this question. Not even the president.