If President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats cannot come to an agreement over government spending, a partial government shutdown will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
House Republicans passed a spending bill on Sept. 19 to extend the current funding until Nov. 21 to give lawmakers time to approve funding legislation for the full fiscal year. Democrats blocked approval in the Senate, saying they won’t vote to fund the government unless Republicans reverse recent Medicaid cuts and extend lapsing Obamacare premium subsidies that could affect health care for millions of Americans. The Democrats’ bill also would have prevented the White House from withholding money appropriated by Congress.
Senate Republicans voted down the proposed stopgap, saying that such a move would add a trillion dollars to spending over the next 10 years. Trump refused to meet with Democratic leaders to discuss a compromise, calling their demands “unserious and ridiculous.”
So what happens in Florida when the government shuts down?
If an agreement is not reached by Congress and approved by Trump in time, funding for the federal government runs out at midnight, Sept. 30. The shutdown would begin at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1.
What happens during a government shutdown?
The federal government has to pay its bills or all federal agencies and services that officials do not deem “essential” stop immediately.
Hiring and training of new employees stops. Funding for SNAP and WIC programs stops. New Head Start grants will not be available. Many food, health and clean water inspections from the FDA, OSHA and the EPA would stop. The Small Business Administration stops reviewing or approving loans.
Previously during a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers were furloughed without pay for the duration. Some essential workers such as active-duty military, air traffic controllers, etc., are required to continue working without pay but received back pay once the shutdown ends.
However, Trump’s White House has raised this stakes this time, suggesting that it is considering mass layoffs rather than temporary furloughs. It’s also not clear if any furloughed workers would receive back pay later.
Where federal employees work
Mass shutdown layoffs? How many federal workers Florida has
How quickly does a government shutdown go into effect?
As far as the public is concerned, immediately. For the government employees involved, staff deemed nonessential will have a few hours to secure their files, hand over any information essential employees might need, pay invoices incurred before the shutdown and generally close up shop. If such preparations will take longer than half a day, the Office of Management and Budget must be notified.
How long can a government shutdown last?
Until Congress passes the necessary appropriations bills to fund government services and President Donald Trump signs them, however long that takes.
There have been 21 shutdowns since 1977, with an average of eight days each. The longest government shutdown was 35 days during Trump’s first term, from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019, the third shutdown to happen during his administration.
The president with the most shutdown days was Jimmy Carter, with 56. The president with the most shutdowns was Ronald Reagan, with eight.
Will a government shutdown affect Florida hurricane forecasts?
With one newly-formed hurricane in the Atlantic and another one possible right after it, Floridians have weather updates on their minds.
Updates should keep coming, judging from previous shutdowns. Workers at the National Hurricane Center are considered essential and will be working without pay. But social media posts may be limited to forecast and warning information only.
Meanwhile, hurricane analysis and research on improving forecast models will stop, as will training for new emergency managers and any outreach or education programs.
However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration which oversees the National Weather Service and the hurricane center has already been forced to lay off employees as part of Trump’s mass overhaul of the federal government. It’s unclear how this may affect operations and weather forecasts.
Will a government shutdown affect Social Security?
Social Security recipients will still get their checks, and Medicare benefits will not be interrupted. But employees in those departments may be furloughed or laid off, which may lead to delays in customer service.
What happens to Medicare and Medicaid during a shutdown?
The federal Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs are considered mandatory spending, meaning benefits won’t be impacted if the government shuts down.
As of Aug. 31, more than 5 million Floridians were eligible for Medicaid, with 5,031,192 enrolled in Medicare as of 2023.
Will the government shutdown affect food stamps (SNAP)?
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, would continue as long as it has funds but a lengthy shutdown could result in hardships for the nearly 3 million Floridians who receive food safety net benefits.
But funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) would stop immediately, according to former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in a press briefing last year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a contingency fund that may extend the program for a day or two, and some states may have leftover unspent WIC benefits that could be used to keep it going in that state for up to a few weeks.
Will a government shutdown affect FEMA?
While the Federal Emergency Management Agency would still respond to disasters, a federal shutdown would greatly reduce its impact. Former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told a House transportation panel in 2023 that a shutdown would restrict the agency to whatever was in its Disaster Relief Fund for existing and new relief efforts.
“We would have to further reduce those types of life-saving operations that we are working on based on the amount of funding that we have available,” she said.
The Trump administration also laid off more than 200 FEMA employees in March, according to NBC News, and Trump has argued the agency should be abolished entirely with disaster relief returning to the states.
Will a government shutdown affect the military and national defense?
Active-duty military service members will remain on active duty, including more than 69,000 military personnel in Florida, but they won’t be paid until the shutdown is over. However, many other aspects of the U.S. military such as systems testing and production will be affected.
“If the government shuts down, testing [of systems] will stop and acceptance by the government of equipment when it is finished and ready to be accepted [could] stop,” William A. LaPlante, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, said last year.
Contracts awarded before the shutdown will continue, according to Reuters, but federal contractors impacted by the shutdown will not be compensated for the time.
Will the government shutdown affect the Post Office?
No, The U.S. Postal Service is funded by sales of stamps and other services and is not impacted by a shutdown, the USPS said on Sept. 25. Mail service will continue and employees will be paid as usual.
Will the government shutdown affect veterans benefits?
No. The Veterans Benefits Administration has received advance appropriations since 2017 and any carryover balances in discretionary accounts can be allocated for current operations, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. There are over 414,000 VA employees and the department says 96% of them will be fully funded or considered essential and required to work without pay.
VA healthcare payments and pensions will continue, as would the National Cemetery Administration’s assorted burial functions. But direct oversight of the NCA’s programs would stop. So would IT functions that are deemed necessary, anything beyond basic HR support, representation by the VA Secretary before the courts for veterans claims, any public outreach or education, investigations of misconduct for a VA leader, and multiple oversight and quality review teams.
Can I get a passport if the government shuts down?
Yes. According to the Department of State’s contingency plan, consular services such as passports, visas and assisting U.S. citizens abroad will remain “100% operational,” as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations. Passport offices that are in larger government buildings may be forced to shut down, however, for lack of access.
Will the government shutdown affect air travel?
Possibly, if the shutdown continues for very long. But short term, you may not notice since TSA agents and air traffic controllers are considered essential employees. They won’t be paid, though, and It’s unclear how long the remaining employees would choose to continue doing the job if the shutdown stretches on.
What stops will be development of new air traffic control specialists, facility security inspections, routine background investigations, development and testing of new technologies, air traffic performance analysis, law enforcement assistance support and various other administrative functions.
During previous shutdowns, effects on travel were minimal. However, the Trump administration has fired hundreds of air traffic controllers — although it has to bring more in — and fired more than 200 TSA employees.
Will national parks be closed during the government shutdown?
National parks could be significantly impacted by a shutdown. During past shutdowns in 2013 and 2018 the government decided to keep them open and close them down, respectively, and both decisions received backlash.
If any parks are kept open, employees would be limited to law enforcement and other necessary personnel and some visitor services could be closed. Staffing has already been an issue following Trump administration’s budget cuts, buyouts and layoffs. Courts rolled back some of the February cuts, but roughly 2,400 to 2,500 staff positions have been lost, according to a preliminary estimate by the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit advocacy group.
Will the government shutdown affect the Coast Guard?
Last year, the U.S. Coast Guard estimated that most its employees would be retained during a shutdown. All emergency and life-saving functions will continue but any non-essential services will stop.
During a government shutdown, do I still have to pay my student loan bills?
Yes.
Does Congress still get paid if the government shuts down?
Yes, but their staffs will be working unpaid. Salaries for members of Congress have been funded by a permanent appropriation since 1983, according to the Congressional Research Service.
The president will also get paid, per Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: How federal shutdown could affect Florida, what stays open
