A government shutdown begins when funding expires and Congress has not enacted new appropriations or a temporary extension. Agencies then pause activities that lack funding, while legally excepted work continues.
Procedurally, the lapse triggers agency shutdown plans: employees may be furloughed, and some services may be limited or delayed. The effects depend on which funding has expired and which activities can legally continue. This guide explains how the process unfolds and what determines its reach.
| Activity or funding type | Typical shutdown status | Concrete example |
|---|---|---|
| Annual-appropriations-funded operations | May halt if funding lapses | Agency services covered by lapsed appropriations |
| Essential public functions | Continue operating; employees may work without immediate pay | Air traffic control and law enforcement |
| Mandatory benefits | Payments continue; related services may be limited | Social Security and Medicare |
| Fee-funded operations | May continue using fee revenue | USCIS and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program |
| USDA programs covered by enacted legislation | Funded through September 30, 2026 | Appropriations signed November 12, 2025 |
- September 30 End of the federal fiscal year and deadline relevant to annual appropriations
- 42,256 employees USDA employees furloughed on October 1, 2025
- 49% Share of the USDA workforce furloughed on October 1, 2025
- September 30, 2026 Date through which the legislation ending the 2025 shutdown fully funded USDA programs
What happens procedurally in a government shutdown?
A government shutdown begins when Congress has not enacted the required annual appropriations bills or a stopgap continuing resolution by the fiscal-year deadline. The federal fiscal year ends on September 30; if funding has not been enacted, affected agencies halt activities for which no other funding source is available. The process is tied to the lapse in appropriations, not to a separate shutdown vote.
What happens during a lapse
Federal employees may be furloughed or required to work without immediate pay, depending on their duties. Activities with another available funding source can continue, while work without funding must stop. The lapse ends when Congress passes appropriations legislation and the President signs it, restoring funding for the affected activities.
The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel issued its opinion “Government Operations in the Event of a Lapse in Appropriations” in 1995, reaffirming and updating a 1981 opinion. The legal framework also includes 31 U.S.C. §§ 1341–1342 and the Attorney General’s opinions of April 25, 1980, and January 16, 1981. These authorities address what the government may do when appropriations lapse.
How do agencies prepare for a shutdown?
Federal agencies prepare for a shutdown by submitting orderly-shutdown plans to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), as Section 124 of OMB Circular A-11 requires when appropriations lapse. The plans identify which activities must stop and which employees must continue working, giving agencies a procedure for separating paused operations from work that continues.
Guidance for shutdown planning
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Office of Legal Counsel provided shutdown-planning guidance in a memorandum dated September 16, 2019. The Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel’s 1995 opinion reaffirmed and updated its 1981 opinion on government operations during a funding lapse.
Which services continue, and why?
Air traffic control, law enforcement, border protection, in-hospital medical care and power-grid maintenance have been treated as essential during prior U.S. government shutdowns, so personnel in these areas continue working. Their work may continue even when they do not receive immediate pay during the lapse.
Why some payments continue
Social Security and Medicare benefits continue because the laws authorizing them do not depend on annual appropriations. That protection applies to benefit payments; services at Social Security offices may be limited during a shutdown.
Interest payments on U.S. Treasury debt also continue because they are mandatory spending, not funding that must be renewed through annual appropriations. These examples show the procedural distinction: essential operations and legally authorized payments can continue while other government activities pause.
What can the public notice when an agency shuts down?
During a shutdown, the public may still receive a federal benefit while facing reduced access to the office or service that supports it. Social Security payments may continue, for example, even as services at benefit offices are limited.
USDA’s response showed how a shutdown can affect staffing and local access. About 42,256 USDA employees were furloughed on October 1, 2025—49% of the department’s workforce. USDA Farm Service Agency county offices partially reopened with limited staff on October 23, 2025.
Some fee-funded services can continue operating during a shutdown. USCIS is generally able to continue because it is fee-funded, and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program is also unaffected because it is funded by fees.
What does a shutdown not mean?
A government shutdown does not automatically stop every federal activity: whether an operation continues depends on its legal authority to spend and the funding available for it. Social Security and Medicare benefits are mandatory spending authorized by laws that do not need annual approval, unlike activities that rely on yearly congressional appropriations.
Funding source matters
Fee-funded operations can follow a different pattern from offices funded through annual appropriations. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program may continue operating because they rely on fees, rather than simply stopping with appropriations-funded offices.
A continuing payment does not mean every related office or service is operating normally. Social Security benefits may continue while services at Social Security benefit offices are limited; the payment stream and the staff or facilities supporting it are separate parts of the system. The same distinction matters when assessing other programs: check whether the specific activity has spending authority and funding, rather than assuming that continued benefits mean normal service.
How does a shutdown end?
Congress ends a federal shutdown by passing appropriations legislation or a continuing resolution, and the President must sign the measure for it to restore the funding it covers. The measure’s scope matters: it may fund specified programs rather than every federal activity.
The 2025 shutdown and the scope of funding
The 2025 shutdown ended on November 12, 2025, when Congress passed and the President signed appropriations legislation fully funding U.S. Department of Agriculture programs through September 30, 2026. That date marks the end of fiscal year 2026, and the legislation’s stated coverage was USDA programs.
Once funding is enacted, agencies can resume covered operations under the legislation’s terms. For USDA, that means operations supported by the funding in the measure could restart; the date and extent of restored funding depend on what the legislation authorizes.
Questions readers ask
When does a federal government shutdown begin?
Do Social Security payments stop during a shutdown?
Do essential federal employees work during a shutdown?
Can an agency keep operating during a shutdown?
Key takeaways
- A lapse follows the failure to enact appropriations or a continuing resolution by the September 30 fiscal-year deadline.
- Section 124 of OMB Circular A-11 requires agencies to prepare shutdown plans for OMB.
- Social Security and Medicare benefits continue, but related office services can be limited.
- The 2025 shutdown furloughed about 42,256 USDA employees, or 49% of its workforce, on October 1.
Sources
- everythingpolicy.org — “Government Shutdowns: What, How, Why – Everything Policy – Briefs”
- crfb.org — “Government Shutdowns Q&A: Everything You Should Know-Mon, 01/26/2026 – 12:00 | Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget”
- brookings.edu — “Government Shutdowns: Causes and Effects”
- ntu.org — “Why Government Shutdowns Happen—And How to Prevent Them – Foundation – National Taxpayers Union”
- naacpldf.org — “Government Shutdowns: What You Need to Know”