What To Expect During A Government Shutdown

You can watch my full YouTube video on this topic here!

The US government is facing a looming deadline of September 30, 2023 to approve the upcoming budget for federal agencies, so they can keep the government open and funded.  Thanks to a 1980 interpretation of a law written in 1884, if lawmakers can’t agree on the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (or pass a temporary funding bill), the government must furlough all but essential federal employees and military personnel until the budget is approved.  Currently, politicians are still gridlocked, and are running out of time to get funding bills passed that will keep the government running. 

It seems like every fall we see threats of government shutdowns in the news, as US lawmakers bicker over spending priorities.  While government shutdowns make for worrying headlines, the longest one we’ve had so far was in December 2018 which lasted 34 days.  Government shutdowns can cost billions of dollars each time they happen. Typically, lawmakers are able to reach some kind of stopgap measures, but each time they let it get down to the eleventh hour before making any compromises. 

What does the threat of a government shutdown mean for you, and what can you expect? 

1.   If you’re a federal employee, you will probably be furloughed and put on unpaid leave until the government reopens.  This doesn’t apply to postal workers or to any employees whose work is deemed critical for public safety, such as air traffic controllers, TSA employees, and so on.  These workers are expected to report for duty unpaid.  Federal employees are usually reimbursed for missed paychecks once the government reopens.

2.   If you’re a federal contractor, you may also be put on unpaid leave.  You will probably not receive reimbursement for time lost from work due to the shutdown.

3.   If you’re in the military, you will be required to report for duty as usual throughout the shutdown.  You will not receive any pay during the shutdown, even if you are deployed in a war zone.  Your back paychecks will be deposited in your account later, but don’t expect to see them for several months.

4.   If you’re one of the roughly 42 million Americans who receive food stamps through the SNAP program, you may or may not continue to receive these benefits during a government shutdown.  During the December 2018 shutdown, the USDA issued food stamps early to beneficiaries so there wasn’t an interruption. If the shutdown had dragged on for more than a month, however, it’s likely that food stamp recipients wouldn’t have had access to their benefits. 

5. If you’re one of the 7 million Americans who receive benefits from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program For Women, Infants & Children (WIC), these benefits will stop during the shutdown. States may have limited WIC funding but until the government reopens, all federal WIC benefits will be unavailable.

6.   If you receive Social Security checks, your benefits will continue throughout the shutdown. You will also still have access to Medicare as usual, if you’re a Medicare beneficiary.

7.   If you’re a federal or military retiree, you will still receive pension checks and healthcare benefits as usual.  The same goes for veterans receiving disability benefits.

7.   If you’re trying to visit a National Park, museum, or other federally-run public space, you will likely be turned away.  Most of these facilities close during government shutdowns since their employees are furloughed.