The federal government finds itself hours away from shutting down if Congress does not pass a funding bill by the end of Tuesday.
Numerous agencies and departments have issued guidance in recent days on what to expect if there’s a funding lapse. But several have yet to release details on the potential impact on operations, an unusual lack of information so close to the funding deadline when compared to previous shutdowns.
Here’s what happens if Democrats and Republicans fail to pass legislation that would keep the government open.
How does a shutdown affect the military?
The majority of veteran benefits and military operations will continue to be funded regardless of a shutdown. However, pay for military and civilian workers will be delayed until a funding deal is reached, forcing them to continue their duties without pay.
Military personnel on active duty, including active guard reserves, will continue their duty. However, no new orders may be issued except for extenuating circumstances — such as disaster response or national security. Some National Guard members serving through federal funding could have their orders terminated unless performing an essential duty.
The Department of Veterans Affairs said it expects 97% of its employees to work, though regional offices will be closed. Some death benefits, such as the placement of permanent headstones at VA cemeteries, and ground maintenance, will cease. Also impacted will be communication lines, including hotlines, emails, social media and responses to press inquiries.
How is air travel affected?
Air traffic control services will continue, allowing for 13,227 air traffic controllers to work through a shutdown — but without pay until the government is funded again. Other essential activities, such as the certification and oversight of commercial airplanes and engines will continue, as will limited air traffic safety oversight.
However, the Department of Transportation will stop air traffic controller hiring, field training of air traffic controllers, facility security inspections and law enforcement assistance support.
In a letter Monday, a coalition of aviation groups urged Congress to stop the shutdown, saying funding lapses will hurt the Federal Aviation Administration. The letter cited the furloughing of many FAA employees, and said the ceasing of funding could create backlogs that will create delays in critical FAA services “long after funding resumes.”
“While air traffic controllers, technicians and other excepted aviation safety professionals will continue to work without pay, many of the employees who support them are furloughed, and the programs that the FAA uses to review and address safety events are suspended. To remain the world leader in aviation, we must continue to strive to improve efficiency and further mitigate risk,” the aviation groups wrote.
Will Social Security checks still go out?
Social Security benefits, considered mandatory under law, will continue regardless of a shutdown, so recipients can expect to continue receiving their payments. However, the Social Security Administration could face a furloughed workforce. Fewer workers could make it so that processing new Social Security applications could be delayed.
How does the shutdown affect the Department of Health and Human Services?
The Department of Health and Human Services — home to agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration — said in its contingency plan that it expects more than 32,000 of its nearly 80,000 workers to be furloughed in case of a shutdown.
HHS said that “excepted activities” will continue, offering as an example responses to pandemic, flu and hurricanes. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health will continue research and clinical services necessary to protect human life and government property.
Still, research contracts and grants to external organizations, such as universities, will freeze, and NIH will not admit new patients to its research hospital unless medically necessary. HHS also said it will not process Freedom of Information Act requests during a shutdown.
How is the Food and Drug Administration affected?
The FDA will continue exempt activities, which include drug and medical device reviews and recalls, monitoring and response of foodborne illnesses and the flu, pursuing some investigations when the agency believes the public is at risk, and screening food and medical products imported to the U.S.
The agency warned it would end its ability to monitor the use of new ingredients in animal food, and thus would not be able to ensure that meat, milk, and eggs of livestock are safe for the public to eat. Long-term food safety initiatives would also be stopped during a shutdown.
The FDA will not process new drug applications and medical device submissions. The agency warned it will not support staff that oversee protection of unsafe or ineffective drugs unless it is an imminent threat.
Are students able to get loans for school?
The Department of Education will continue to disburse student aid through Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student Loans — assistance that goes to nearly 10 million students at 5,400 schools, the department said.
But borrowers still need to make their loan payments during a shutdown, the memo added.
In the first week of a government shutdown, the department will furlough about 95% of staff who don’t work on federal student aid, the memo said. The department will also halt new grant-making activities during a lapse in funding.
What is the impact on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will continue to monitor and respond to disease outbreaks, but its will be hampered in providing the public with health-related information, its contingency plan said.
The agency also won’t be able to provide state and local health departments with guidance on things like preventing opioid overdoses, HIV, and diabetes.
Some other operations will similarly grind to a halt, including responses to inquiries about public health issues and the analysis of surveillance data for certain diseases, the Department of Health and Human Services said.
The department also said slightly more than a third of the staff at the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry will continue working during a shutdown.
How are nutritional programs for the the poor and women and children affected?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children could be affected by a shutdown, according to several congressional offices, including Democratic Reps. Greg Stanton, of Arizona, and Shontel Brown, of Ohio.
“USDA funds cover SNAP benefits for roughly one month of a shutdown, but a longer shutdown could mean that this funding runs out,” added the office of Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md.
While the department has not put out detailed guidance, it said in last year’s shutdown contingency plan that SNAP, WIC and similar programs would continue during a shutdown “subject to the availability of funding.”
Will national parks stay open?
The National Park Service has not yet issued new shutdown guidance, but its plan from previous years said parks will generally be closed during a funding lapse.
The agency, which falls under the Department of Interior, discouraged people from visiting sites that are still physically accessible during a closure, noting there would be “significantly reduced visitor services.” It also said parks will not be able to provide regular road or trail condition updates and website and social media will not be maintained.
The National Park Service would also reduce its workforce from about 19,000 to under 13,000 personnel during a shutdown.
Can I still go to Smithsonian museums or the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.?
The Smithsonian Institution’s museums and National Zoo — major draws for visitors to the nation’s capital — are closed to the public during shutdowns, according to guidance from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
A previous Smithsonian shutdown plan said a small number of agency employees would be required to show up for work, and staff would still care for the animals at the zoo. Animal cams would be turned off, the zoo’s website said.
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