Government shutdown FAQ

No. Congress enacted a continuing resolution that funds federal agencies through December 11, 2026. Office closures for weather, local emergencies, or one agency’s plan are not the same as a government-wide funding lapse.

The current continuing resolution expires after December 11, 2026. Congress must enact full-year appropriations or another temporary measure before then to avoid a new lapse.

A continuing resolution, or CR, is temporary funding legislation. It keeps agencies operating—usually at prior-year rates—when Congress has not finished the regular annual appropriations bills.

No. A shutdown is a lapse in some annual appropriations. Work can continue when it is excepted by law, supported by another funding source, or assigned to an agency whose bill has already been enacted. That is why a partial shutdown can look very different from a government-wide lapse.

Scheduled Social Security, SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid payments generally continue because their benefit authority does not depend only on the annual bills that lapse. SNAP and WIC are more time-sensitive and depend on available funds, the length of the lapse, and state administration. Check the specific program guide rather than a headline.

Pay can be delayed while appropriations are unavailable. After a covered lapse ends, the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 requires retroactive pay for affected federal employees. Contractor employees do not have that automatic statutory protection.

Commercial airports do not generally close because of a funding lapse. TSA screening and FAA air traffic control are usually excepted functions. Staffing pressure during a long unpaid stretch can still cause delays.

No. Government Shutdown Tracker is an independent, nonpartisan publication. It is not a federal agency, and it cannot access benefit, payroll, tax, or case records. Official instructions come from the responsible agency’s .gov site.

A shutdown is a lapse in appropriations: Congress has not provided legal authority to spend for some activities. Hitting the debt limit without raising or suspending it is a separate problem about paying obligations that Congress has already incurred. The two can overlap in time, but they are not the same legal event.

The House and Senate must pass the same funding text, and the President must sign it, allow it to become law without a signature, or Congress must override a veto. Agencies then recall staff and restore operations under the new law.