Government Shutdowns and What Happens to You

What Is a Government Shutdown

A government shutdown is what happens when Congress misses the deadline to fund federal agencies. Without a spending law, agencies that depend on yearly appropriations must stop most work and send home employees whose jobs are not tied to safety or property. Programs Congress funds by permanent law, such as Social Security and Medicare, keep paying, though the offices that run them can slow down.

A lapse in funding and a shutdown are not quite the same thing. The Congressional Research Service counts a “funding gap” whenever a whole day passes with no spending law in force. Short gaps over a weekend often end before agencies finish shutting down, and the six gaps from 1976 to 1979 came before the Justice Department told agencies they had to stop work at all (CRS).

What Happens to You in a Shutdown

Most of the country keeps running, but the parts that stop can reach your paycheck, your groceries, or your flight. The answer depends on who you are, so start with the situation closest to yours. This is general information drawn from past shutdowns and agency plans, not legal or financial advice.

What a shutdown means for you

Open the one closest to your situation. Each answer is based on what happened in past shutdowns, most recently in 2025 and 2026.

I get Social Security, SSI, or Medicare

1. Your payments keep coming. Social Security and Medicare are paid under permanent law, not the yearly spending bills that lapse.
2. Expect slower help with anything that needs a person: new applications, card replacements, and appeals can stall when offices cut staff.
3. If a payment is late or wrong, call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and keep a record of the call.

Payments continue because they do not depend on annual appropriations; the offices that process them do (CRFB).

I get SNAP or WIC food benefits

1. Check your state agency's website or call its SNAP line before the first of the month. States announce delays there first.
2. Line up a backup now: local food banks and mutual aid groups step in during long shutdowns. Our mutual aid guide explains how to find or start one.
3. If benefits are cut off, watch for court orders. In November 2025 a federal judge ordered the government to pay them in full.

SNAP runs on yearly funding, so a long shutdown can stop it: November 2025 benefits did not go out on schedule for about 42 million people (CNBC). The current stopgap law includes extra room for WIC (Congress.gov).

I work for a federal agency

1. Check whether your job is "excepted" (you keep working) or you will be furloughed (sent home). Your agency's shutdown plan says which.
2. Either way, you will not be paid until funding returns. Budget for a missed paycheck.
3. You will get back pay afterward. A 2019 law guarantees it for furloughed and working employees alike.
4. Ask your creditors and landlord about hardship programs now, before a payment is due.

The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (P.L. 116-1) requires back pay "at the earliest date possible" after a lapse ends (CRS).

I work for a federal contractor

1. Ask your employer now whether your contract is funded past the deadline and whether you will be paid if work stops.
2. Do not count on back pay. The 2019 law covers federal employees, not contractors.
3. If you are sent home, check your state's rules on unemployment benefits right away.

The 2019 back pay law covers federal employees. Federal contractors "have historically not received back pay" (CRFB).

I serve in the military

1. Active-duty troops keep working in a shutdown.
2. Whether paychecks arrive on time depends on whether money can be found. In 2013 Congress passed a separate law only to pay troops.
3. Talk to your unit about emergency relief funds if a payday is at risk.

In the 2013 shutdown, a narrow law provided "pay and allowances for certain members of the Armed Forces" (CRS).

I am flying soon

1. Flights keep operating. Air traffic controllers and TSA officers are excepted and keep working, without pay.
2. In a long shutdown, expect delays and cancellations as unpaid staff call out. Check your airline before you leave.
3. Get to the airport early and sign up for your airline's text alerts.

In November 2025, the FAA ordered airlines to cut flights at 40 major airports, citing fatigue among controllers working without pay (NBC Washington).

The same rule sorts all six situations. Anything paid by permanent law keeps paying, anything that protects life or property keeps working, and everything else waits.

How a Government Shutdown Starts and Ends

A shutdown follows the same steps every time, set by a law older than the Civil War. The Antideficiency Act bars agencies from spending money Congress has not provided, with an exception for work that protects “the safety of human life or the protection of property” (CRS).

How a funding lapse becomes a shutdown

1. 1 By September 30 Congress must fund agencies It needs 12 yearly spending bills, or a stopgap continuing resolution that extends last year's funding.
2. 2 October 1 Funding lapses Any agency without a spending law loses its legal authority to spend.
3. 3 First hours Agencies shut down Employees are furloughed unless their work is excepted. Excepted staff keep working without pay.
4. 4 During the lapse Permanent programs keep paying Social Security, Medicare and interest on the debt continue. Services that need staff slow down.
5. 5 When a law passes Government reopens Employees return and receive back pay. Contractors may not.

Source: CRS, RS20348 and RL34680; Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (P.L. 116-1).

Congress rarely finishes on time. Since the budget year moved to October 1 in 1976, it has passed all of its regular spending bills before the deadline in only four budget years: 1977, 1989, 1995 and 1997 (CRS). Every other year it has relied on continuing resolutions, and in 23 cases it missed even those.

Every Funding Lapse Since 1976

Short gaps were routine in the 1980s. Since 2013, gaps have been rarer but far longer. The 6 lapses since 2013 add up to 172 full days without funding, against 109 days for all 17 before them.

8 of the 23 gaps began on October 1, the first day of the budget year. 11 lasted three days or less.

• Lapse under 14 days 12
• Before 1980 (agencies kept working) 6
• Lapse of 14 days or more 5

Most early gaps lasted a few days over a weekend. After a 17-year pause, the gaps since 2013 include the three longest on record.

Source: CRS Report RS20348, Table 1 (May 26, 2026). Each dot is one gap, placed at the date funding expired. Lengths are CRS's count of full days with no funding.

23 funding gaps since 1976. The long ones cluster since 2013, after a 17-year stretch with none.

Year	Event	Category
1976	Oct 1976: 10 full days	Before 1980 (agencies kept working)
1977	Dec 1977: 8 full days	Before 1980 (agencies kept working)
1977	Nov 1977: 8 full days	Before 1980 (agencies kept working)
1977	Oct 1977: 12 full days	Before 1980 (agencies kept working)
1978	Oct 1978: 17 full days	Before 1980 (agencies kept working)
1979	Oct 1979: 11 full days	Before 1980 (agencies kept working)
1981	Nov 1981: 2 full days	Lapse under 14 days
1982	Dec 1982: 3 full days	Lapse under 14 days
1982	Oct 1982: 1 full day	Lapse under 14 days
1983	Nov 1983: 3 full days	Lapse under 14 days
1984	Oct 1984: 1 full day	Lapse under 14 days
1984	Oct 1984: 2 full days	Lapse under 14 days
1986	Oct 1986: 1 full day	Lapse under 14 days
1987	Dec 1987: 1 full day	Lapse under 14 days
1990	Oct 1990: 3 full days	Lapse under 14 days
1995	Dec 1995 to Jan 1996 (6 bills): 21 full days	Lapse of 14 days or more
1995	Nov 1995 (10 of 13 bills): 5 full days	Lapse under 14 days
2013	Oct 2013 (whole government): 16 full days	Lapse of 14 days or more
2018	Dec 2018 to Jan 2019 (7 of 12 bills): 34 full days	Lapse of 14 days or more
2018	Jan 2018 (whole government): 2 full days	Lapse under 14 days
2025	Oct to Nov 2025 (whole government): 42 full days	Lapse of 14 days or more
2026	Feb to Apr 2026 (Homeland Security only): 75 full days	Lapse of 14 days or more
2026	Jan to Feb 2026 (6 bills): 3 full days	Lapse under 14 days

3 funding lapses hit in the 2026 budget year, and together they lasted 120 days. The first shut down the whole government from October 1 to November 12, 2025. The second, three days in early February 2026, touched agencies in six spending bills. The third left the Department of Homeland Security unfunded for 75 days, from February 14 to April 30, 2026, in a fight over funding for immigration enforcement (CRS).

The longest funding lapses since 1976, in full days

Category	Value
Feb to Apr 2026 (Homeland Security only)	days75
Oct to Nov 2025 (whole government)	days42
Dec 2018 to Jan 2019 (7 of 12 bills)	days34
Dec 1995 to Jan 1996 (6 bills)	days21
Oct 1978	days17
Oct 2013 (whole government)	days16

Source: CRS Report RS20348, Table 1 (May 26, 2026). CRS counts full days with no funding, so the October to November 2025 lapse is 42 days here and 43 calendar days in most news reports.

The 2025 lapse was the longest ever to close the whole government. The 2026 Homeland Security lapse ran longer but covered one department, which is why news reports called 2025 “the longest shutdown” and 2026 “the longest partial shutdown.”

What Shutdowns Cost

A shutdown does not save money. It delays spending and loses some economic output for good. Because workers get back pay, taxpayers pay for work that was never done, and the economy loses what furloughed workers would have produced.

CBO found that the 34-day partial shutdown in 2018 and 2019 reduced economic output by $11 billion, about $3 billion of which was never recovered (CBO). For the 2025 shutdown, CBO estimated under a six-week scenario that $11 billion of real GDP would not be recovered (CRS, quoting CBO).

The cost also lands on families before the back pay does. The Bipartisan Policy Center estimated that at least 670,000 federal employees were furloughed in 2025 and about $14 billion in wages was withheld until the government reopened (CRS).

Shutdown vs. Debt Ceiling and Other Budget Fights

A shutdown and a debt ceiling breach are different fights with different stakes. People often mix them up because both involve Congress, deadlines and the word “default.” A shutdown stops work Congress has not paid for. Hitting the debt ceiling would stop the Treasury from paying bills Congress already ran up.

The debt ceiling is not the current risk. The July 2025 budget law raised the limit by $5 trillion (P.L. 119-21). The fight over money Congress approved but the White House has not spent is covered in our impoundment explainer, and how a spending bill moves through Congress is in our guide to how a bill becomes law.

Where Government Funding Stands Now

The government will not shut down on October 1, 2026. Congress passed a continuing resolution that funds agencies at last year’s levels through December 11, 2026. The Senate approved it 90-6 on August 8 and the House 370-48 on September 1 (Congress.gov).

Where Federal Funding Stands

As of October 3, 2026

• Stopgap funding for fiscal 2027 (P.L. 119-103) Law, through December 11, 2026

  Signed September 2, 2026. Most programs stay at 2026 levels, with extra room for WIC, disaster relief and wildfire fighting. (source)

• The 12 full-year spending bills for fiscal 2027 Proposal, not enacted

  None had been enacted as of September 3, 2026. A stopgap funds the government through December 11, so the next deadline falls after the November 3 election. (source)

• Homeland Security funding lapse Ended, 75 days

  Ended April 30, 2026, when P.L. 119-86 funded the department for the rest of fiscal 2026. (source)

• October-November 2025 shutdown Ended, 42 full days

  Ended November 12, 2025, with P.L. 119-37, which also guaranteed back pay for furloughed workers. (source)

• Federal debt limit Law, raised $5 trillion

  Raised by the July 4, 2025 budget law, P.L. 119-21. (source)

Source: Congress.gov and govinfo bill status; CRS RS20348 and R48832; CRFB

The next deadline is December 11, 2026. By then Congress must pass the 12 full-year bills, another stopgap, or let funding lapse again.

The Honest Disagreement Over Shutdowns

Lawmakers in both parties have used the funding deadline as leverage. The 2013 shutdown came during a fight between the House, the Senate and President Obama over the Affordable Care Act (CRS). The 2025 shutdown came as lawmakers debated extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, and the 2026 Homeland Security lapse came from disagreements over funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Security Operations (CRFB). Each side says the other caused the shutdown, and each says the stakes justified the fight.

One proposed fix is an automatic continuing resolution, which would keep funding flowing at a set level whenever a deadline passes. The House and Senate have considered such proposals, but none has been enacted on a permanent basis (CRS).

What a Shutdown Is Not

• It is not a default. The Treasury keeps paying interest on the debt during a shutdown.
• It does not stop Social Security or Medicare checks. Those are paid under permanent law.
• It does not close everything. Troops, air traffic controllers, border agents, federal prisons and hospitals keep running.
• It does not save money. Back pay and restart costs mean taxpayers pay more, not less.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the government shut down right now?

No. As of October 3, 2026, federal agencies are funded through December 11, 2026, under a stopgap law signed September 2.

What was the longest government shutdown?

The longest shutdown of the whole government ran from October 1 to November 12, 2025, 42 full days by the Congressional Research Service’s count and 43 calendar days in most news reports. The longest lapse of any kind was the 75-day partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, from February 14 to April 30, 2026.

Do federal workers get paid after a shutdown?

Yes. Since 2019, federal law requires back pay for both furloughed employees and those who worked. Federal contractors have no such guarantee.

Do Social Security checks stop during a shutdown?

No. Social Security and Medicare are paid under permanent law, so checks continue. Services that need staff, such as new applications, can slow down.

What is a continuing resolution?

A continuing resolution is a stopgap law that keeps agencies funded, usually at the previous year’s level, until Congress passes full-year spending bills. The current one runs through December 11, 2026.

What You Can Do

1. Mark December 11 on your calendar. That is the next funding deadline. If you rely on SNAP, WIC or a federal paycheck, build a small cushion before then if you can.

2. Ask your members of Congress how they will vote on the full-year bills. Ask whether they will pass all 12 before December 11 rather than another stopgap. Our letter-writing guide shows how to make the ask count.

3. If you are a federal worker, read your agency’s shutdown plan now. It tells you whether your job is excepted. The Office of Personnel Management posts furlough guidance for employees.

4. Support your local food bank or mutual aid network before a lapse, not during one. Our mutual aid explainer covers how to find or start one, and our SNAP work requirements explainer covers the other changes hitting food benefits.

5. Watch what happens to money Congress already approved. A shutdown is one way funding stops. Impoundment is another, and it does not need a deadline.