Will I continue to receive my Social Security and SSI checks?
During a government shutdown, recipients will continue to receive their Social Security and SSI checks. However, a shutdown suspends the issuance of Social Security cards.
Will I continue to receive my Medicare benefits?
During a government shutdown, Medicare beneficiaries will still receive their benefits.
Will I continue to receive my military retirement benefits?
During a government shutdown, retirees and survivor benefit plan beneficiaries generally continue to receive their pay and benefits.
Will my mail still arrive?
Yes. The Postal Service employees are exempt from furlough because the Postal Service is self-funded.
Will I be able to receive my passport?
During a government shutdown, the U.S. Passport Agency remains open and continues to issue passports. However, depending on where you live, the State Department could curtail issuing passports where those passport services are offered in buildings run by another agency that is shut down.
Will I still be able to visit the national parks and monuments?
This is at the discretion of the Biden Administration, which has yet to issue guidance.
During the 2018 shutdown, the Trump Administration kept national parks "as accessible as possible.” This included keeping many national parks open for hiking, wildlife watching, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Open-air parks and monuments in Washington, D.C. remained open. However, other services that require National Park Service staff, including campgrounds and concessions, closed.
Will my previously scheduled White House or U.S. Capitol tour be impacted?
During a shutdown, all tours of the White House and U.S. Capitol building are canceled.
How will the shutdown affect FEMA natural disaster clean-up efforts?
It's unclear how ongoing FEMA recovery efforts from recent hurricanes and wildfires will be impacted. FEMA staff would still respond to emergencies, but the Biden Administration has not clarified how many workers, if any, would continue with long-term projects.
What is the impact on the Department of Homeland Security?
During a shutdown, the Department of Homeland Security continues the following functions:
• Activities necessary by law, the Constitution, or necessary for Safety of Human Life or Protection of Property
• Maintaining law enforcement operations, including drug interdiction and irregular migration management
• Continuing passenger processing and cargo inspection functions at ports of entry
• Providing the protective functions of the U.S. Secret Service
• Maintaining counter-terrorism watches or intelligence gathering or dissemination in support of terrorist threat warnings
• Retaining minimal personnel to maintain telecommunications necessary for excepted activities
• Disaster Relief Fund activities will continue operations
• Fee-funded activities such as those funded by the Immigration Examinations Fee Account
Read more about the DHS shutdown protocols here.
What is the impact on FLETC?
During a shutdown, FLETC will halt any training and development not deemed an excepted activity. Further guidance has not yet been issued.
Read more about the DHS shutdown protocols here.
What is the impact on veterans' services?
During a government shutdown, all VA medical facilities and clinics will remain fully operational. However, VA call centers and hotlines cease to function, and Veterans Benefits Administration public contact services are not available.
What is the impact on U.S. military personnel?
We are awaiting guidance from the DoD about how military personnel would be impacted by a government shutdown.
During the 2018 shutdown, military personnel on active duty, including reserve component personnel on federal active duty continued to report for duty and carry out assigned duties, and military personnel pay was not impacted.
What is the impact on small businesses?
A shutdown halts federal loans to small businesses. During a shutdown, the Small Business Administration stops approving applications for small businesses to obtain loans and loan guarantees.
What is the impact on federal housing loans?
During a shutdown, the Federal Housing Administration stops approving applications for housing loans.
What is the impact on medical research?
During a shutdown, NIH shuts down most medical research taking place on its campus in Maryland, prevents the enrollment of patients in NIH Clinical Center studies, and stops reviewing medical research grant applications and making or renewing research grants.
What is the impact on the Centers for Disease Control?
During a shutdown, CDC must greatly curtail its activities to conduct flu season surveillance and monitoring, promote immunization, support state and local health departments, and update disease treatment and prevention recommendations.
What is the impact on food safety activities?
During a shutdown, the FDA is unable to support most of its food safety activities. Food safety inspections of domestic and international food facilities are often curtailed.
Which federal employees keep working during a government shutdown?
When there is a government shutdown, federal agencies are required to classify their employees as either "essential" or "non-essential." The employees classified as "essential" continue to work during the shutdown. However, the employees classified as "non-essential" are put on unpaid furlough.
Do furloughed federal employees get back pay?
This is at the discretion of the Biden Administration, which has yet to issue guidance.
The precedent has been that furloughed employees are later paid, through enactment of legislation. For example, that was done in the most recent shutdown in 2018.
