All administrations get some leeway to choose which services to freeze and which to maintain in a shutdown, so many important functions will remain operational.
WASHINGTON — The federal government has shut down after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to reach a compromise and pass a funding bill, requiring agencies to furlough their “non-excepted” employees.
Excepted employees, which include those who work to protect life and property, stay on the job but don’t get paid until after the shutdown ends.
What closes during a shutdown?
All administrations get some leeway to choose which services to freeze and which to maintain in a shutdown. And each federal agency develops its own shutdown plan. The plans outline which workers would stay on the job during a shutdown and which would be furloughed.
The first Trump administration worked to blunt the impact of what became the country’s longest partial shutdown in 2018 and 2019. But on Tuesday, Trump threatened the possibility of increasing the pain that comes with a shutdown.
“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them,” Trump said of Democrats. “Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has threatened the mass firing of federal workers in a shutdown. An OMB memo said those programs that didn’t get funding through Trump’s mega-bill this summer would bear the brunt of a shutdown.
But despite the threat, many important functions will remain operational during the government shutdown.
What stays open during the government shutdown?
Is the post office affected by the shutdown?
The U.S. Postal Service is considered essential work, and is expected to continue operating. That means letters will still be sent, mail will still be delivered and you can pick up stamps and boxes at your local post office location.
The U.S. Postal Service confirmed in a Sept. 25 statement that it’ll remain “open for business as usual.”
“Because we are an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars, our services will not be impacted by a government shutdown,” it said.
National parks
Most outdoor national parks are expected to remain open with a skeleton crew working, according to Politico.
The National Park Service plans to furlough about two-thirds of its employees while keeping parks largely open to visitors during the federal shutdown, according to a contingency plan released Tuesday night. The plan says “park roads, lookouts, trails, and open-air memorials will generally remain accessible to visitors.”
Many national parks including Yellowstone and Yosemite stayed open during a 35-day shutdown during Trump’s first term. Limited staffing led to vandalism, gates being pried open and other problems including an off-roader mowing down one of the namesake trees at Joshua Tree National Park in California.
Will the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo remain open during the shutdown?
Smithsonian museums, research centers and the National Zoo will remain open through at least Monday.
Courts
Courthouses, federal, state and local, will remain open during the shutdown. But the Department of Justice, which prosecutes federal cases, said it may “postpone” some of its litigation and only try the most serious cases until funding is secured to pay for employees.
In a contingency plan released Monday, the DOJ said it would hold off on cases that don’t involve the safety of human life or the protection of property.
National Guard Troops
The National Guard is currently deployed to D.C., Oregon and Tennessee. Under the laws mobilizing them, known as Title 10 and Title 32, the missions are federally funded, meaning it’s likely the troops serving in those states will be unpaid for the federal shutdown, and will be backpaid once the government is funded again.
Military Bases, the FBI
Operations will continue as normal for the regular military, which is considered essential by the federal government. But troops will go without pay until the government shutdown is over.
Federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and the CIA will also continue working without pay through the shutdown.
Will TSA be impacted by the government shutdown?
The Transportation Safety Administration is another agency deemed essential despite the federal shutdown, and will continue to act as gatekeepers for airports, docks and other transportation hubs.
According to ABC News, nearly all TSA workers would continue to work during the shutdown, albeit without pay.
But as the 2018 shutdown dragged on, many more TSA employees than usual called out sick, likely due to the financial hardship without pay. If that happens again, expect delays at potentially understaffed airport security lines.
Will Social Security and Medicare be affected by the shutdown?
Those programs that rely on mandatory spending generally continue during a shutdown. Social Security payments still go out. Seniors relying on Medicare coverage can still see their doctors and health care providers can be reimbursed.
While existing recipients are still expected to get their checks on time, it may be more difficult to sign up for either program.
With staffers at the Social Security Administration and other federal agencies furloughed, there may be delays in processing new applications.
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 Associated Press contributed to this story.
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