Well, looks like all those "nonessential" gov't employees can breath a sigh of relief. They can return to their "nonessential" positions and commence to doing their "nonessential" jobs.
That sounds essentially correct.
Yep, no doubt about it... you've gotten to the essence of the issue. Congratulations on your indispensable insight! 
Watching cspan right now, the Senate is confirming an "Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom".
I'm sure that ambassador is going to end up costing millions per year. And it's cost millions just to nominate and approve him.
What president nominated the first ambassador to this position?
I thought that this "Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom" was, at least in theory, the role of the USA as a nation by way of its constitution and its example of religious toleration exhibited by its citizenry throughout its history. I guess we're now just getting around to promoting the idea of religious freedom.
apocryphal faulty memory puts Shirley Temple as first nominated.
Whoops,
The position was created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. The first ambassador-at-large was Bob Seiple[