FAQ: What you need to know about a government shutdown

“Yes, furloughed, federal employees are generally eligible for unemployment insurance,” said Drew Friedman, a reporter at WTOP’s news partner Federal News Network. She said federal workers have to submit personnel paperwork, but the timing of actually receiving unemployment benefits also depends on individual situations.

“The requirements for receiving unemployment insurance differ state by state,” Friedman said.

She said if the shutdown doesn’t last very long, employees may not get those unemployment funds.

“So some states, for example, require a one week waiting period before you might be able to actually qualify to get unemployment payments. So for example, hypothetically, if a shutdown just lasts a couple of days, then you might not qualify for those payments,” Friedman said.

And some employees may have an extra cost associated with unemployment payments.

“Depending on what state you live in, some federal employees would also be required to repay unemployment insurance payments once the spending legislation is passed and they’re able to get back pay from the shutdown,” she said.

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Hundreds of thousands of federal workers would be furloughed, meaning they would stop working and would not be paid until the shutdown ends.

About 334,900 civilian employees at the Department of Defense will be furloughed in the event of a government shutdown, according to the department’s contingency plan.

Health and Human Services will furlough about 41% of its staff out of nearly 80,000 employees, according to a contingency plan posted on its website.

The Education Department will furlough about 1,500 of 1,700 employees, excluding federal student aid workers.

Meanwhile the IRS said it plans to keep all its employees working for at least a few days.

During the 35-day partial shutdown in President Donald Trump’s first term, 340,000 of the 800,000 federal workers at affected agencies were designated as “non-excepted” and placed on furlough. Another group were “excepted” and legally required to work without pay. “Exempt” employees continued to work with pay.

Although agencies are responsible for updating their shutdown contingency plans to determine which employees fall into which of the three categories, no plans have been made publicly available on the Office of Management and Budget’s website this year. OMB removed all contingency plans that agencies had compiled during a 2024 threat of a government shutdown.

While contractors are typically able to retain staff during a short-term shutdown, a longer lapse raises the potential for employee furloughs. Companies can also encourage staff to take leave in the event of a shutdown.

If a shutdown were to happen, the Professional Services Council is advising companies to continue working until they receive a stop-work order from the government.

FBI investigators, CIA officers, air traffic controllers and agents operating airport checkpoints keep working. So do members of the Armed Forces.

Those programs that rely on mandatory spending also generally continue during a shutdown. Social Security payments continue going out. Seniors relying on Medicare coverage can still see their doctors and health care providers and submit claims for payment and be reimbursed.

Veteran health care also continues during a shutdown. Veterans Affairs medical centers and outpatient clinics will be open, and VA benefits will continue to be processed and delivered. Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries.

The Office of Personnel Management said any work involving reductions in force should be considered “excepted activities,” and can continue throughout a government shutdown.

The White House threatened mass layoffs earlier in September if a shutdown occurs, though no immediate plans for layoffs have been released.

From the Smithsonian’s website: “Our museums, research centers, and the National Zoo are open today, and will remain open through Saturday, October 11. If the government shutdown continues past October 11, the Smithsonian will then close to the public.”

The U.S. Postal Service is unaffected by a government shutdown, meaning Americans will still get their mail. It’s an independent entity funded through the sale of its products and services, not by tax dollars.

Performances should continue as scheduled at the Kennedy Center in the event of a government shutdown, but other amenities during nonperformance times might not be accessible.

The Library of Congress will not be open during the shutdown.

A group of former national park superintendents is calling on the Trump administration to close the parks to visitors in case of a government shutdown.

Past shutdowns in which parks remained open led to vandalism of iconic symbols, destroyed wildlife habitat and endangered visitors, 40 former superintendents said in a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

A shutdown now could be even worse as parks are already under strain from a 24% reduction in staff and severe budget cuts, the former park officials said in their letter Thursday.

However, certain sites with critical roads, such as Rock Creek Park, and open-air areas with public access, such as the National Mall, will remain open.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon will remain open during the shutdown, as it is privately owned.

Services in the city such as street cleaning, trash pickup and other municipal operations will continue as normal.

Although the D.C. courts are federally funded, most divisions will continue to operate and provide services, with the majority of employees working and accumulating backpay during a prospective shutdown.

The only service that will not be offered by the courts during a shutdown is issuing marriage licenses and performing marriage ceremonies, according to the agency’s shutdown plan.