What happens during a Government Shutdown?

A government shutdown is a complex event that can have far-reaching effects on a country and its citizens. It occurs when there is a lapse in funding for the government. This can happen if policymakers have not enacted the appropriations bills for the new fiscal year by October 1, and have not enacted a temporary stopgap continuing resolution (CR) to keep programs operating at current levels for a few weeks or months while they try to resolve their differences.

If the temporary CR expires and no new funding has been approved, the federal government will shut down or be at risk of a shutdown. During a shutdown, a department, agency, or program must stop all projects and activities, sometimes as quickly as within three to four hours.

Employees whose work activities have not been exempted from the shutdown are put on furlough, meaning that they are told not to report for work and go unpaid for the period of the shutdown, although their salaries are paid retroactively when it ends. Other government workers who perform what are judged essential services, such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officials, continue to work but do not get paid until Congress acts to end the shutdown.

A shutdown would not affect the mandatory programs that receive their appropriation outside the annual funding process—such as Medicare, Social Security, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). But it would immediately halt certain programs and put other programs at risk if it lasted long enough.

While the consequences of any given shutdown depend on what programs remain unfunded, past shutdowns have, for example, resulted in people with cancer not receiving treatment from the National Institutes of Health as well as some food safety inspections stopping.

Depending on how long it lasts, national parks can either shut entirely or open without certain vital services such as public toilets or attendants. Passport processing can stop, as can research at national health institutes. The administration has warned that federal inspections ensuring food safety and prevention of the release of dangerous materials into drinking water could stop for the duration of the shutdown. About 10,000 children aged three and four may also lose access to Head Start, a federally funded program to promote school readiness among toddlers, especially among low-income families.

A shutdown can wreak significant havoc on the country’s economy. It has the potential to inflict disruption to a range of public services, cause delays in salaries, and wreak significant damage on the national economy if it becomes prolonged. At the heart of the looming upheaval is the uncertain status of the Republican House speaker, who is under fire from members of his own party for agreeing spending limits with Joe Biden, that members of the GOP’s far-right “Freedom Caucus” say are too generous and want to urgently prune.

In conclusion, a government shutdown is a serious event that can have wide-ranging impacts on the country and its citizens. It is a complex issue that involves many different factors and can have both immediate and long-term effects. It is important for citizens to understand what a government shutdown is, why it happens, and what the potential consequences are. By staying informed, citizens can better navigate the challenges that a government shutdown presents and advocate for policies that prevent such shutdowns from occurring in the future.