The 12-bill structure
A full, or government-wide, shutdown happens when none of the regular appropriations bills—or a CR covering them—is in force. Most agencies then follow shutdown plans at the same time. The October–November 2025 lapse was government-wide.
A partial shutdown happens when at least one annual bill has been enacted and at least one has not. Employees, contractors, and the public at funded agencies may see little change. People who depend on the unfunded department can face a long disruption.
Why the difference matters
| Question | Government-wide lapse | Partial lapse |
|---|---|---|
| Who is furloughed? | Non-excepted staff across most agencies | Non-excepted staff in the unfunded department |
| Do TSA and air traffic control work? | Usually yes, as excepted functions, with growing delay risk | Yes if those accounts are funded; DHS-only lapses still hit TSA pay |
| Do Social Security payments continue? | Generally yes | Generally yes |
| Can parks or IRS close? | Often, under their plans | Only if Interior or Treasury funding has lapsed |
The 2018–2019 example
Five of the 12 regular bills were already law when funding lapsed in December 2018. The shutdown lasted 34 full days and became the previous modern record for a partial lapse. Several departments stayed funded; others, including Homeland Security, did not.
The 2026 DHS example
After the 2025 government-wide shutdown ended, Congress funded most of government for the rest of FY2026 but left Homeland Security on a shorter fuse. CRS records a three-day DHS gap at the end of January 2026 and a 76-day DHS lapse from February 14 through April 30, 2026. Border, screening, and many enforcement jobs continued as excepted work. Administrative functions, some benefits processing, and related grants did not move at a normal pace. That is a different event from “the whole government is closed.”
Read the immigration and DHS guide and the shutdown history for the sourced timeline.
How to read a headline
- Ask which appropriations bills have lapsed.
- Ask whether the program is mandatory, fee-funded, or annually appropriated.
- Ask whether the worker is excepted, exempt, or furloughed.
- Then look up the agency plan—not a map of every federal building.
Use the impact checker when the question is about one service, and how shutdowns work when the question is about the legal trigger.