The Federal Government Has Shut Down. Here’s How It Could Affect Your Life

The federal government shut down on Wednesday after lawmakers failed to meet the deadline for a new spending deal, leaving federal agencies to begin winding down operations as Washington braces for what could be a prolonged closure.

It’s unclear how long the shutdown will last. Republicans continue to press for a short-term measure to keep funding flat, while Democrats appear committed to their demand for a permanent extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to soon expire.

The last government shutdown, which took place in President Donald Trump’s first term nearly seven years ago, lasted 34 days and cost the U.S. economy about $3 billion.

When the government shutters, federal workers and the millions of Americans who depend on government services are caught in the middle, as agencies are instructed to furlough staff and scale back public programs. Some employees will report for duty knowing they will not be paid until funding is restored, while others will be sent home indefinitely. Families relying on nutrition assistance, students awaiting federal aid, and patients seeking access to medical research trials may also be affected.

In a departure from how past shutdowns have been managed, President Donald Trump has suggested that his administration could use the shutdown to impose permanent cuts to the federal workforce and social programs. “Because of the shutdown, we can do things medically and other ways, including benefits,” he said on Tuesday. “We can cut large numbers of people.”

Read more: Here’s Why Both Sides Expect to ‘Win’ the Shutdown

The mass firing plan underscores the unusual leverage a shutdown would give Trump, who has proven more willing in his second term to abruptly halt long-standing, far-reaching government programs, and would have wide latitude to further do so amid a shutdown. It’s unclear if Trump will go through with the cuts, or was just threatening the move as leverage in negotiations.

Here are some of the ways the federal government shutdown will impact Americans.

How will a shutdown affect federal workers?

As many as 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day and sent home without pay, at a cost of roughly $400 million in lost compensation, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Those who are deemed essential workers, such as employees in public safety and national security, will report to work without pay. Once federal funding resumes, the government is required by law to repay federal employees and military personnel. Federal contractors would not be compensated for missed time.

This time, however, the Trump Administration is threatening to make a shutdown more painful for the federal workforce. The Office of Management and Budget has ordered agencies to draw up reduction-in-force plans that would permanently cut positions in programs without dedicated funding streams. That approach breaks with decades of precedent, when shutdowns were disruptive but temporary, and has injected new uncertainty into an already tense standoff.
Many federal agencies are still reeling from widespread workforce reductions earlier this year. Since Trump's return to office, roughly 200,000 federal workers have left the government, though some were later hired back. It’s unclear which agencies would face the deepest cuts, but programs without mandatory funding—such as many domestic policy initiatives, regulatory offices, and research programs—would be the most vulnerable, according to the OMB. “Programs that did not benefit from an infusion of mandatory appropriations will bear the brunt of a shutdown,” the OMB memo states.

What does a shutdown mean for air travel?

Airports are among the most visible pressure points during a shutdown. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents and air traffic controllers are considered essential and must continue working, but they do so without pay.

In the 2018-2019 shutdown, many TSA officers called in sick, leading to closed checkpoints and longer lines. A shortage of air traffic controllers temporarily grounded flights at LaGuardia Airport and delayed travel across the East Coast.

What does a shutdown mean for Social Security payments? What about Medicare or Medicaid?

Agencies that have already received funding approval or operate on a permanent funding basis are supposed to continue to operate as usual during a shutdown. Both the Social Security Administration and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services fall under that category. Thus, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid would continue to run during a shutdown. 

However, in past shutdowns, both agencies have cut back on some services. Some field offices reduced operations, halting the issuance of new Social Security cards, replacement Medicare cards, and benefit verifications. The Social Security Administration’s last contingency plan envisioned furloughing thousands of employees—a scale that could again slow responses for beneficiaries needing assistance.

How would a shutdown impact veterans?

Veteran benefits and military operations will continue to be funded during a shutdown, but pay for military and civilian workers will be delayed until a funding deal is reached.

That means that military personnel on active duty, including active guard reserves, will continue their duty without pay.

The Department of Veterans Affairs said in its contingency plans that it expects 97% of its employees to work, though regional offices will be closed. Some benefits, such as the placement of permanent headstones at VA cemeteries, will cease during the shutdown.

The Veterans Health Administration, which is funded through advance appropriations, will continue—but services outside the health system, including some administrative functions and benefits processing, could be delayed.

What does a shutdown mean for food assistance programs like SNAP and WIC?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) will continue during a shutdown “subject to the availability of funding,” according to the Department of Agriculture's contingency plans.

Ahead of the shutdown, a White House official told TIME that the WIC program, which provides groceries to low-income families, was on track to run out of the money it would need to accept new applicants starting Oct. 1. The Trump Administration previously requested Congress to approve additional funds for the WIC nutrition program. That funding is included in the stopgap spending bill that passed in the House, but is short of votes in the Senate.

“If Democrats shut down the government, they will be responsible for the WIC program not having enough resources to add new beneficiaries,” the White House official said. 

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, would continue during a shutdown as it is considered mandatory spending. But the Agriculture Department would only be authorized to send out benefits for 30 days after a shutdown begins, meaning a prolonged shutdown could impact the program.

Are the national parks and museums going to close?

National parks will remain partially open during the government shutdown, according to an Interior Department contingency plan. Open-air sites, roads, lookouts, and trails will remain open to the public, but buildings that require staffing—such as visitor centers or sites like the Washington monument—will close. Limited staffing could also mean overflowing trash, vandalism or closures if resources are damaged, the Interior Department said.

The National Park Service estimated that a 2013 government shutdown led to a $500 million loss in visitor spending nationwide. 

The Smithsonian Institute’s museums, research centers, and the National Zoo will remain open until at least Oct. 6, according to an update from the institution, which says it will use money leftover from its budget for the fiscal year that just ended.

Does the mail stop getting delivered during a shutdown?

No, the Postal Service is self-funded through its own revenues, not annual appropriations. Mail delivery, package services, and post office operations continue without interruption.

Is ICE impacted by a government shutdown?

Immigration enforcement is considered essential, so agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will remain on duty during a shutdown. Detention facilities will also continue to operate, though court hearings for many immigration cases may be delayed because they rely on Justice Department appropriations.

Are students still able to get loans?

Pell Grants and federal student loans will continue to flow to millions of students, according to the Department of Education. But nearly all of the department’s staff who are not tied to student aid will be furloughed, halting grant-making and slowing responses to inquiries.

Borrowers will still be required to make their loan payments during the shutdown, according to the department.

How will public health agencies like the CDC and HHS be impacted?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will continue to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks, but many of its broader public health activities will be curtailed, its contingency plan said.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said that slightly more than a third of the staff at the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will continue working during a shutdown. As a result, the agency will have limited ability to provide guidance to state and local health departments on issues such as opioid overdoses, HIV prevention, and diabetes, it said.

Responses to public inquiries and the analysis of surveillance data for certain diseases will also be suspended. The department has warned that while urgent pandemic or flu response efforts will continue, the CDC’s capacity to track and prevent emerging health threats is significantly reduced during a shutdown.

More broadly, HHS—which runs the CDC, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Food and Drug Administration—said in its contingency plan that it expects more than 32,000 of its nearly 80,000 workers to be furloughed during the shutdown. It added that “expected activities,” such as pandemic, flu, and hurricane responses, will continue, along with National Institutes of Health research and clinical services necessary to protect human life and government property. But some research contracts and grants to external organizations, such as universities, will freeze. NIH will also not admit new patients to its research hospital unless medically necessary.