What Is a Government Shutdown?

What Causes a Government Shutdown

The federal government operates on a fiscal year that runs from October 1 to September 30. Congress must pass appropriations bills funding each area of government before the fiscal year begins. If Congress does not pass those bills — or a temporary spending measure called a continuing resolution — and the President signs them, a shutdown begins at 12:01 a.m. when existing funding expires.

Shutdowns typically occur when Congress and the President disagree over spending levels, policy riders attached to spending bills, or other legislative priorities. The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from spending money that has not been appropriated by Congress, which is the legal mechanism that forces a shutdown.

What Stops During a Shutdown

Federal agencies must furlough — temporarily lay off without pay — all employees whose work is not legally classified as "excepted." During a shutdown:

• National parks and monuments may close or operate on reduced staff
• Passport and visa processing may slow significantly
• Federal regulatory work and permitting can halt
• Small Business Administration loans may be delayed
• New federal contracts and grants may not be issued
• Some government websites and services may go offline

Furloughed employees are not paid during a shutdown, though Congress has historically passed legislation to provide back pay once funding is restored.

What Continues During a Shutdown

Many critical government functions continue because they are considered essential or are funded through mandatory spending (not subject to annual appropriations):

• Military and national security operations continue; troops are paid
• Air traffic control, border security, and law enforcement continue
• Social Security and Medicare payments continue (mandatory spending)
• The U.S. Postal Service continues (self-funded)
• Emergency medical care at VA hospitals continues
• Federal courts can operate for a limited time on reserve funds

Essential employees — those who protect life, property, or provide critical services — must continue working but may not receive their paychecks until funding is restored.

Continuing Resolutions

Congress frequently avoids a full shutdown by passing a continuing resolution (CR) — a temporary funding measure that keeps the government running at existing spending levels while negotiations on full appropriations bills continue.

A continuing resolution can last days, weeks, or months. It typically funds the government at the previous year's spending rate and does not allow new programs to begin or major new spending to occur. CRs can be narrow — covering only specific agencies — or government-wide.

In recent years, Congress has often relied on a series of continuing resolutions rather than passing all 12 annual appropriations bills on time — a pattern critics say leaves agencies operating in a state of perpetual uncertainty.

How Shutdowns End

A shutdown ends when Congress passes and the President signs a funding bill or continuing resolution. The agreement typically comes after negotiation over the disputed policy or spending issue that caused the shutdown.

Historically, most shutdowns have lasted a few days. The longest shutdown in U.S. history occurred from December 2018 to January 2019, lasting 35 days over a dispute about border wall funding.

Once a deal is signed, agencies are typically able to reopen and resume operations within a day or two. Furloughed employees return to work, and back pay is processed.