Haga clic aquí para leer mi página de recursos sobre un cierre del gobierno en español.
I know you may be hearing about a potential government shutdown.
I've been hard at work in Washington trying to prevent this unnecessary shutdown – but I want to make sure you know how you and our nation might be impacted.
This webpage is where I will post updated guidance so you can understand how a shutdown will affect your benefits, our communities, and the programs that millions of Americans rely on.
For the most up to date information, please consider signing up for my newsletter.
Frequently Asked Questions about Government Shutdowns
The government shuts down when Congress is unable to pass appropriations bills that finance the operations of federal agencies and programs, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These appropriations bills are designed to fund the government until the conclusion of each fiscal year, which ends on September 30.
If a new appropriations bill isn't enacted by this deadline, Congress needs to pass a temporary measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), which sustains the government's funding at its current level. For instance, a CR passed this year would maintain funding at Fiscal Year 2023 levels. In the absence of an approved appropriations bill or a CR, the government faces a shutdown due to lack of authorized funding.
A government shutdown, whether partial or full, impacts a variety of services and programs.
During the 2018-2019 partial shutdown, the Food and Drug Administration suspended routine inspections, increasing public health risks. The National Park Service stopped trash collection and road repairs, creating unsanitary conditions and unsafe roads, while some national parks and museums closed entirely. Additionally, over 86,000 immigration court hearings were canceled, exacerbating existing backlogs. The shutdown also threatened the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program in some states, putting low-income families and children at risk.
These disruptions illustrate how shutdowns can detrimentally affect public services and society's most vulnerable members.
Recipients will continue to receive their Social Security and SSI checks. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will provide limited services like issuing Social Security cards and holding appointments for benefit applications. However, SSA will stop services like benefit verifications and processing overpayments. Customer service wait times will dramatically increase.
Current Medicare, Medicaid, and disability insurance beneficiaries will continue to receive their benefits assuming a shutdown lasts less than three months.
All Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities and clinics will remain operational. The VA will continue to process veterans’ benefits. However, veterans will be affected by the shutdown of other services that they count on, including education and job training, support for veteran-owned businesses, and even assistance for homeless veterans.
Military and federal retirees will continue to receive their retirement benefits. Processing new applications or other requested changes will be delayed.
During a government shutdown, essential services related to national security and public safety like inpatient and emergency medical care, air traffic control, law enforcement, border security, disaster aid, and power grid maintenance, continue, though they may face disruptions.
For instance, during the 2018-2019 shutdown, air traffic controllers worked without pay, causing widespread delays and even a temporary halt of incoming flights at LaGuardia airport.
Federal employees from shut-down agencies are either furloughed—prohibited from work and unpaid—or required to work without pay if their roles are deemed essential to public safety. While Congress has traditionally approved retroactive payment for these employees once the government reopens, this does not prevent the immediate financial difficulties they face.
During the 2018-2019 partial government shutdown, around 2 million people were employed by the federal government; 380,000 of them were furloughed and 420,000 worked without pay. Many delayed mortgage or credit card payments, risking late fees or loan defaults.
In 2013, there were over 2 million federal employees, with about 850,000 furloughed during the shutdown.
Government contractors, unlike direct federal employees, typically do not receive back pay after shutdowns. In the 2018-2019 shutdown, it's estimated that 4.1 million people worked under government contracts, though the exact number of those furloughed is unclear.
When the government shuts down, federal agencies are required to classify their employees whose salaries have lapsed as either "excepted" or "not excepted." The employees classified as "excepted" work without pay during the shutdown. The employees classified as "not excepted" are put on furlough.
All active-duty and Guard and Reservists on active-duty orders are excepted and therefore are required to work without pay. On-base non-acute health care will cease, although off-base care provided through Tricare will not be affected. On-base child care will be open on a case-by-case basis. Federal law enforcement will also be required to work without pay for the duration of a shutdown.
Air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents will remain on the job without pay. If some do not report to work, as has happened in prior shutdowns, there will be significant delays and longer wait times across the country.
Yes. The U.S. Postal Service is not affected by a shutdown.
Across the country, services that require National Park Service staff — including trash removal and operating campgrounds and concessions — may be stopped. Closures will be determined on a location-by-location basis; open-air parks and monuments in Washington, D.C. will likely remain accessible. Smithsonian museums may also be impacted by a lengthy shutdown.
Shutdowns are detrimental to both the public, who face service and program disruptions, and federal employees, who are either furloughed or required to work without pay. Moreover, they pose a significant strain on government resources.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and federal agencies need to develop and implement shutdown plans, a process that requires substantial staff time and resources, potentially detracting from public services. Shutdowns also cause revenue losses, such as those from visitor fees or gift store sales when national parks close. Additionally, shutdowns negatively impact the economy.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the 2018-2019 shutdown cost the U.S. economy $11 billion, mainly due to federal workers reducing their spending in response to lost pay. Notably, this decrease in spending may not rebound even after workers receive their back pay.
The 2018-2019 shutdown delayed over $2 billion in loans to small businesses since the SBA was unable to make new loans.
Consular services, passport services, and visa services are expected to continue in the immediate aftermath of a government shutdown. In a prolonged shutdown, passport and visa issuance could be slowed. Access to passport agencies located in some government buildings may be limited.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff will still respond to emergencies, but all long-term projects will be delayed due to a lack of funding in the Disaster Relief Fund.
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will quickly run out of funding and be unable to provide food for children and parents in need. In the case of a prolonged shutdown, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may also be affected.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food safety activities — such as routine inspections of facilities — will be delayed across the country.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will stop inspecting most hazardous waste sites, as well as drinking water and chemical facilities. Efforts to address dangerous contaminants like PFAS — which are linked to severe health effects, including cancer — will be delayed, and cleanup activities at Superfund sites will slow or cease.
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will stop insuring some new mortgages and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will stop processing some new loans. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will stop new loan and loan guarantee activity. The VA will continue to guarantee home loans. Funding for federal housing assistance programs, such as Housing Choice Vouchers, may be jeopardized in a prolonged shutdown.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) will stop processing new business loans, such as through the 7(a) and 504 programs. However, SBA’s Disaster Loan Program will continue regular operations.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be forced to delay new clinical trials. New patients who are waiting for a chance at new treatment through a clinical trial will be turned away.
To end a government shutdown, Congress needs to pass, and the President must sign, appropriations bills to fund the departments and agencies that have been shut down.
The President does not have the power to end a shutdown unilaterally. The funding bills follow the same legislative process as any other bill, requiring approval from both the House and Senate before the President can sign them into law.
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Haga clic aquí para leer mi página de recursos sobre el cierre del gobierno en español.
