On this week's show, Federal Times editor Steve Watkins and senior reporter Sean Reilly give us an update on the possibility of a federal shutdown, the status of efforts to avert it, and the impact on feds, contractors and agency operations if it happens.

In addition, we hear from the American Federation of Government Employees. The group is sponsoring informational picket lines today at Social Security offices in Alabama, California, Connecticut, Maryland, New York, Virginia and a dozen other states. They will be joined by the Alliance for Retired Americans and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security/Medicare. AFGE's Witold Skwierczynski joins us to discuss what a shutdown could mean to Social Security beneficiaries.