The U.S. federal government shutdown began on October 1, 2025, due to Congress's failure to pass a funding bill for the 2026 fiscal year. This has resulted in furloughing roughly 900,000 federal employees and leaving another 700,000 working without pay.

Agencies Affected by the Shutdown

• Many federal agencies have stopped or limited operations, including:
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program
  • Small Business Administration (SBA), with about 24% staff furloughed
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) furloughs, though emergency disaster funds remain available
  • Non-essential workforce in Social Security Administration (12% furloughed)
  • Various federal contractors and cleaning services

Agencies and Services Remaining Operational

• Agencies and programs continuing operations include:
  • Social Security disability and retirement benefits
  • Medicare and Medicaid programs
  • U.S. Postal Service (self-funded)
  • Federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI and CIA (working without pay)
  • Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff and air traffic controllers (working without pay)
  • Military personnel (working without pay)
  • Border patrol and immigration enforcement
  • US Customs and Border Protection tariff collections
  • Essential national security and emergency services

Impact Summary

• Around a million federal employees are furloughed or working without pay due to the funding lapse.
• Courts may exhaust their operational funds soon, potentially disrupting judiciary functions.
• Essential services related to national security, public safety, air travel, and emergency medical care continue but may face procedural disruptions.
• Negotiations remain deadlocked over political demands related to Medicaid and Medicare funding, with no immediate resolution in sight.

This shutdown is part of ongoing partisan disagreements and is expected to last until Congress approves a new appropriations bill to restore funding and government operations.