The United States Government Begins Shutdown Protocols
Congress fails to pass spending bill, triggering midnight government shutdown that will furlough thousands of federal workers.
By Aaron Parnas•October 1, 2025•6 min read
Congress
Breaking News: The United States government has officially begun shutdown procedures. While the shutdown won’t take effect until midnight (ET), tonight’s legislative efforts have collapsed — all votes on pending bills have failed, and Congress has adjourned without plans to reconvene. Notably, House Republicans have are not even in Washington, D.C.
It’s unclear when the shutdown will end, and I will provide you coverage through it all. I will be offline on Thursday until the evening for Yom Kippur, but otherwise, you will get updates from me as we enter extremely uncharted territory. Subscribe today to support my work as this fight continues.
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Hours before the midnight deadline, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directed federal agencies to activate their shutdown plans, squarely blaming Democrats for the lapse in funding.
“President Trump supports passage of H.R. 5371, but it is now clear that Democrats will prevent passage of this clean CR prior to 11:59pm tonight and force a government shutdown,” wrote OMB Director Russell Vought in a letter to agency heads. “As such, affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.”
The letter further instructs federal employees to report for their next scheduled shift in order to carry out shutdown activities.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump and the Trump team are currently posting more racist memes and videos ahead of the shutdown, which will lead to thousands of Americans to lose their jobs.
When the government shuts down, here’s what you should expect:
Government shutdown impacts: Military & VeteransActive-duty military and guard reserves continue working but without pay until funding is restored.No new orders are issued except for emergencies (e.g., disasters, national security).97% of Veterans Affairs employees remain, but regional offices close.Some benefits like cemetery headstones and grounds maintenance stop, and communication lines (hotlines, press responses) shut down.Air TravelAir traffic controllers (13,227 of them) keep working unpaid, maintaining flight operations.FAA halts hiring, training, and some safety inspections, creating potential long-term backlogs and delays.Aviation groups warned Congress that safety programs would be suspended, affecting efficiency and risk mitigation.Social SecurityPayments continue (mandatory spending), but fewer staff could slow new applications and services.Health & Human ServicesAbout 32,000 of 80,000 employees furloughed.Critical services (pandemic, flu, hurricane response, NIH clinical care) continue.Grants, contracts, and FOIA processing freeze.NIH halts new patient admissions unless medically necessary.Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Essential activities continue (drug recalls, outbreak response, food imports screening).New drug and device applications stop, non-urgent oversight halts.Cannot monitor new livestock feed ingredients, raising risks for meat, milk, and egg safety.Education & Student AidPell Grants and federal student loans keep flowing to 10M students.Borrowers must keep paying loans.95% of non-aid staff furloughed; new grant-making pauses.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Outbreak response continues but with reduced staff and limited guidance to states on health issues (opioids, HIV, diabetes).About one-third of CDC staff continue working.Nutritional AssistanceSNAP benefits covered for roughly one month; longer shutdowns risk funding shortages.WIC and other programs continue only “subject to funding availability.”
Military & VeteransActive-duty military and guard reserves continue working but without pay until funding is restored.No new orders are issued except for emergencies (e.g., disasters, national security).97% of Veterans Affairs employees remain, but regional offices close.Some benefits like cemetery headstones and grounds maintenance stop, and communication lines (hotlines, press responses) shut down.
Active-duty military and guard reserves continue working but without pay until funding is restored.
No new orders are issued except for emergencies (e.g., disasters, national security).
97% of Veterans Affairs employees remain, but regional offices close.
Some benefits like cemetery headstones and grounds maintenance stop, and communication lines (hotlines, press responses) shut down.
Air TravelAir traffic controllers (13,227 of them) keep working unpaid, maintaining flight operations.FAA halts hiring, training, and some safety inspections, creating potential long-term backlogs and delays.Aviation groups warned Congress that safety programs would be suspended, affecting efficiency and risk mitigation.
Air traffic controllers (13,227 of them) keep working unpaid, maintaining flight operations.
FAA halts hiring, training, and some safety inspections, creating potential long-term backlogs and delays.
Aviation groups warned Congress that safety programs would be suspended, affecting efficiency and risk mitigation.
Social SecurityPayments continue (mandatory spending), but fewer staff could slow new applications and services.
Payments continue (mandatory spending), but fewer staff could slow new applications and services.
Health & Human ServicesAbout 32,000 of 80,000 employees furloughed.Critical services (pandemic, flu, hurricane response, NIH clinical care) continue.Grants, contracts, and FOIA processing freeze.NIH halts new patient admissions unless medically necessary.
NIH halts new patient admissions unless medically necessary.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)Essential activities continue (drug recalls, outbreak response, food imports screening).New drug and device applications stop, non-urgent oversight halts.Cannot monitor new livestock feed ingredients, raising risks for meat, milk, and egg safety.
New drug and device applications stop, non-urgent oversight halts.
Cannot monitor new livestock feed ingredients, raising risks for meat, milk, and egg safety.
Education & Student AidPell Grants and federal student loans keep flowing to 10M students.Borrowers must keep paying loans.95% of non-aid staff furloughed; new grant-making pauses.
Pell Grants and federal student loans keep flowing to 10M students.
Borrowers must keep paying loans.
95% of non-aid staff furloughed; new grant-making pauses.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Outbreak response continues but with reduced staff and limited guidance to states on health issues (opioids, HIV, diabetes).About one-third of CDC staff continue working.
Outbreak response continues but with reduced staff and limited guidance to states on health issues (opioids, HIV, diabetes).
About one-third of CDC staff continue working.
Nutritional AssistanceSNAP benefits covered for roughly one month; longer shutdowns risk funding shortages.WIC and other programs continue only “subject to funding availability.”
SNAP benefits covered for roughly one month; longer shutdowns risk funding shortages.
WIC and other programs continue only “subject to funding availability.”
