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What really happens during a US government shutdown
US government shutdowns happen often. Trump’s longest was 36 days over border wall funding, cutting $11bn.
Washington is hours away from a federal government shutdown, which could begin at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday if Congress does not pass a spending bill, according to AP report.
Republicans have proposed a short-term plan to fund the government through Nov. 21.
Democrats say the plan must also address health care. They want to reverse Medicaid cuts from Trump’s legislation this summer and extend tax credits that help millions of Americans afford insurance through the Affordable Care Act. Republicans have rejected these demands.
What happens in a shutdown?
If a shutdown happens, agencies must stop work and put non-essential employees on unpaid leave. Workers who protect life and property, known as “excepted” employees, continue working but are not paid until the government reopens. During Trump’s first-term shutdown, about 340,000 of 800,000 affected workers were furloughed.
Many essential services continue. FBI agents, CIA officers, air traffic controllers, TSA staff, and the Armed Forces keep working. Programs funded through mandatory spending, like Social Security and Medicare, also continue. Seniors can still visit doctors and submit claims, and VA hospitals and clinics remain open. VA benefits are processed, and national cemetery burials continue.
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US Postal Service will remain unaffected
The US Postal Service is unaffected because it is funded through its own revenue, not federal taxes.
Each agency decides which services stop and which continue during a shutdown. During the 2018–2019 shutdown, the Trump administration selectively reopened offices, sometimes bending rules to keep essential work going, according to BBC report.
Trump’s first term had three shutdowns
During Trump’s first term, there were three shutdowns. The longest lasted 36 days and ended in January 2019. It was caused by disagreements over funding a wall on the Mexico border. The Congressional Budget Office estimated it reduced economic output by about $11 billion, including $3 billion that was never recovered.
President Ronald Reagan also faced eight shutdowns in the 1980s, though they were all much shorter.
