How a Federal Government Shutdown Impacts You and Your Family

The following is a list of frequently asked questions about how a government shutdown could impact you and your family.

Which federal employees keep working during a government shutdown?

During a government shutdown, federal agencies are required to categorize their employees as either "essential" or "non-essential." The employees classified as "essential" continue to work during the shutdown but without pay. Employees classified as "non-essential” are furloughed.

Do furloughed federal employees get back pay?

The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, signed into law in 2019, guarantees that both essential and furloughed government employees receive back pay once a shutdown ends.

Will I continue to receive my Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits?

Yes. Social Security benefits do not go through the appropriations process, so the Social Security Administration will continue to mail checks.

The agency has released guidance stating that new claims will not be processed during a shutdown.

What is the impact on Medicare and Medicaid benefits?

The Department of Health and Human Services will continue activities supporting the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Will the mail be delivered?

Yes. The U.S. Postal Service is self-sustaining and will continue to deliver mail, provide retail services, and operate other essential functions in the event of a government shutdown.

Will a shutdown impact WIC benefits?

The Department of Agriculture contingency plan states that Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits will continue to be processed in the event of a shutdown, subject to the availability of funding.

New Hampshire state agency leaders have stated that critical programs, including SNAP and WIC, administered by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, and LIHEAP, administered by the New Hampshire Department of Energy, will not be impacted in the event of a short-term shutdown lasting 30 days or less.

Will a shutdown impact SNAP benefits?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a mandatory spending program, which means it continues to function during a shutdown, subject to the availability of funding.

What is the impact on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)?

LIHEAP is administered in New Hampshire by the New Hampshire Department of Energy. When the government shuts down, it is unable to provide new and additional funding to states for their LIHEAP fuel assistance programs. If a state has carry-over funds prior to the shutdown to support continued applications and disbursement of funds, assistance will remain available. If a state does not have carry-over funds available or has exhausted its carry-over funds, applications will be closed and assistance will stop.

What is the impact on U.S. military personnel and law enforcement?

Active-duty U.S. military personnel will remain on the job. Some civilian personnel will be furloughed. Federal law enforcement officers will remain on the job as well.

The week of October 15th, the Department of Defense utilized remaining funds from FY 2025 to pay military personnel their mid-month paychecks. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI used remaining funds from FY 2025, available at their respective agencies, to pay members of the Coast Guard and FBI agents.

Congressman Pappas does not believe that our Armed Forces or critical staff supporting our continued readiness at installations such as the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard should be forced to work without pay, and has called repeatedly for Speaker Johnson to reconvene the House to vote on bipartisan legislation that would guarantee they continue to receive pay and benefits during a government shutdown. The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which Congressman Pappas helped pass through the House and President Trump signed into law, guarantees all military personnel backpay following the conclusion of any government shutdown.

What is the impact on veterans' services?

All functions within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) will continue, including PACT Act benefits. VA hospitals, medical centers, outpatient clinics, and Vet Centers will remain open.

All benefits administered by the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), including education benefits, insurance processing, compensation and pensions, loan guaranty programs, and Veteran Readiness and Employment payment processing, will continue.

The National Cemetery Administration’s (NCA) burial, scheduling of burials, first notice of death, and headstone processing functions will continue.

Regional offices may close during a government shutdown. The processing of new pension, education, or disability benefits may be delayed. Some regular operations, such as career counseling, transition assistance, and cemetery grounds maintenance, could be impacted.

More information can be found on VA's website.

Will the IRS be able to issue tax refunds?

Under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) shutdown contingency plan, all IRS employees will continue to report for work as usual for five business days in the event of a shutdown.

The agency has not yet released guidance on its plans beyond those initial five business days.

How will the shutdown affect travel?

Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers would remain on the job, though travelers may encounter increased wait times and delays.

Will I be able to renew my passport?

The State Department has issued guidance indicating that domestic consular operations, including passport and visa services, will continue.

What is the impact on food safety?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) contingency plan outlines how its services will be administered in the event of a shutdown.

According to this plan, all FDA activities related to imminent threats to the safety of human life or protection of property would continue. This includes detecting and responding to public health emergencies and continuing to address existing critical public health challenges by managing recalls, mitigating drug shortages, and responding to outbreaks related to foodborne illness and infectious diseases. It also includes conducting for-cause and certain surveillance inspections of regulated facilities, as well as related regulatory testing activities, and criminal enforcement work, alongside other activities. More information can be found on their website.

What will happen to student loan assistance?

The Department of Education has released guidance indicating that student aid and grant funding will continue to be distributed.

Borrowers are still required to make student loan payments during a shutdown.

Are National Parks open during a shutdown?

National Parks would likely be closed to public use, and services at National Forests could also be impacted. Critical personnel would be kept in place for resource protection. State parks are not affected.

Have all federal agencies issued shutdown contingency plans for October 2025, and what are they?

Below is a summary of currently available federal agency shutdown contingency plans. More information is available from the individual agencies.

State Department: Embassies and consulates abroad will remain operational. Domestic consular operations, including passport and visa services, as well as national security activities, will continue.
Department of Defense: The department will continue its ongoing defense operations and the overall defense of the nation. Military personnel and reserve members who are on active duty will continue to report for duty. Some civilian personnel will be furloughed.
Commerce Department: The department will continue support related to weather, water, climate, national security, law enforcement, fisheries, and timing infrastructure, as well as operations of certain agencies to the extent possible by funds other than annual appropriations.
Agriculture Department: The department will continue activities related to farm loan processing, certain natural resource and conservation programs, core nutrition safety net programs, and essential food safety operations, as well as responding to and preparing for wildland fires.
Education Department: The department will continue to disburse student aid and grant funding, and borrowers will still be required to make student loan payments. Grantees will still be able to access their awarded funds, but the department will not release any new grants during a shutdown.
Small Business Administration: Employees working for ODR&R, HUBZONE, Advocacy, NWBC, VetCert, ONAA, ARPA, and COVID temp/term employees are exempt and will continue to report for work as usual. The department has indicated that several offices working to fund and support small businesses will continue their work.
Energy Department: Information to come.
Environmental Protection Agency: The department will continue to conduct activities such as emergency and disaster assistance, and protection of EPA land, buildings, equipment, and research.
Department of Veterans Affairs: Ongoing functions will include medical care and critical services, benefits operations, call centers, and other various offices.
Department of Homeland Security: The U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Secret Service, law enforcement, port of entry processing and inspection, counter-terrorism, and emergency preparedness and response will continue to operate as usual.
Social Security Administration: Social Security benefits will continue to be issued. New benefit verifications, Medicare card replacements, and other administrative services will pause.
Department of Health and Human Services: Medicare and Medicaid support, health care fraud and abuse work, emergency readiness, and some FDA drug and medical device reviews will continue.
Justice Department: The Judicial branch will continue to operate, at a reduced level. Law enforcement operations will continue. Criminal litigation will continue, and civil litigation will be postponed to the extent possible.
Labor Department: The department will continue work related to workers' benefits, child labor investigations, mine and other hazardous workplace investigations, unemployment insurance benefits support, and Jobs Corps centers operations.
Transportation Department: All air traffic control services will continue.
Interior Department: Information to come.
NASA: Activities related to International Space Station operations, satellite operations, and Artemis Programs development and operations will continue.
Department of the Treasury: All IRS operations will continue as usual for five business days. Some international engagement, domestic finance, and economic policy operations will stop. The agency has not released guidance on IRS operations beyond the initial five-business-day window.

Departmental contingency plan summaries compiled with assistance from Federal News Network reporting found here.