The federal government may enter a shutdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, if there is a lapse in federal government funding.
- Congress must pass funding bills or a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open. Without either, the government shuts down.
- Many agencies will stop or reduce services, furloughing employees. “Essential” employees must work without pay until funding resumes.
- Federal workers and active-duty military will not receive paychecks during the shutdown, but will get back pay after it ends.
- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Pell Grants, and federal student loans will continue for a limited time, but some services may be delayed.
- National parks and monuments may close or operate without staff; visitor centers, restrooms, and trash pickup may be unavailable.
- Weather forecasts and urgent warnings will continue, but routine maintenance and long-term projects may be delayed.
- SBA loans, EPA cleanups, and unemployment reports will be suspended.
- The only federal salaries guaranteed during a shutdown are for Congress and the President.
- For help with federal agencies, contact your congressional office, but expect delays.
More Details on the 2025 Government Shutdown
- In the final week of the fiscal year, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed agencies to prepare for furloughs and possible layoffs if Congress did not pass a funding bill or continuing resolution by October 1, 2025.
- Many non-essential federal employees are temporarily furloughed during a shutdown, while essential personnel (military, law enforcement, air traffic controllers) continue to work, often without pay until funding resumes.
- Essential government services (public safety, welfare, Social Security payments, SNAP benefits) generally continue, either because they are excepted from furloughs or funded outside annual appropriations.
- Some programs, like Medicaid, Pell Grants, and federal student loans, continue as long as prior-year or mandatory funding is available, but may be affected if the shutdown is prolonged.
- National parks and public services may scale back or close, and agencies may suspend non-essential operations.
- The Antideficiency Act allows certain excepted activities to continue even with lapsed appropriations.
- The shutdown’s impact depends on agency contingency plans and the duration of the funding lapse.
- The 2025 shutdown was triggered by a budget standoff between Democrats and Republicans, with last-minute negotiations failing to secure a deal before the deadline.
For more, see:
- Everything you need to know about a government shutdown (USAFacts)
- Government Shutdown Advisory (HKLaw)
- Which Federal Benefits and Services Continue During a Government Shutdown? (NYTimes)
How Congress Struggles to Fund the Government
- Since the mid-1970s, Congress is supposed to pass 12 individual spending bills by October 1 each year to fund the government’s discretionary spending (about a quarter of the total budget). Mandatory spending (like Social Security and Medicare) continues regardless.
- Congress has only met this deadline five times. Most years, lawmakers rely on “continuing resolutions” (C.R.s) to keep the government open temporarily, often at existing funding levels.
- Shutdowns are a symptom of increasing partisan polarization, making timely bipartisan budget deals rare.
- In recent decades, Congress has often bundled all or most spending bills into a single “omnibus” package, rather than passing them individually.
- The last time Congress passed all individual spending bills on time was for the 1997 fiscal year.
- For the 2025 fiscal year, the government was funded by three back-to-back C.R.s. At 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2025, the last C.R. will expire, triggering a shutdown if no deal is reached.
- The 2025 shutdown is the 21st federal funding disruption in 50 years, and the third during a Trump presidency.
Sources: Congressional Research Service, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, Pew Research Center, The Bipartisan Policy Center, The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, NYTimes reporting.
- NYTimes: From Crisis to Crisis: How Congress Struggles to Fund the Government (2025)
- Everything you need to know about a government shutdown (USAFacts)
- Government Shutdown Advisory (HKLaw)
- Which Federal Benefits and Services Continue During a Government Shutdown? (NYTimes)
- Government Shutdown Update: Trump to Meet with Congress (Newsweek)
Stay tuned for updates as the situation develops.