FAQ: Federal Government Shutdown

• The Social Security Administration (SSA) will likely continue to process and mail checks and perform disability determination.
• The Social Security Administration will continue activities critical to direct-service operations and those needed to ensure accurate and timely payment of benefits – SSA will cease activities not directly related to the accurate and timely payment of benefits or not critical to direct-service operations – the type of casework that can be worked on will depend on shutdown guidance. Individuals should check Social Security Online Services for updates.

• Yes, existing Medicare patients can still see their health care providers, and those providers will continue to submit bills and receive payment for their services.

• USDA and OMB have jointly determined that there is Congressional intent that core programs of the nutrition safety net, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Child Nutrition (CN) programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) shall continue operations during a lapse in appropriations. It is unclear how long operations will continue since it is dependent on the amount of funding remaining from the previous appropriation.

Yes. Unemployment compensation is a federal-State program administered by State agencies.

• In the event of a federal government shutdown, the EEOC staff will likely not be available to answer questions or respond to correspondence. Mediations and public events will likely be cancelled.
• EEOC will halt operations for all online constituent services, including federal-sector hearings and appeals and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) processing, except for keeping the public portal open so individuals can enter inquiries.

• Yes. VA hospitals will likely remain open.
• Similarly, the Military Health System (MHS) will continue to operate, as will the private sector under TRICARE. Patients should contact their hospitals or clinics to confirm appointments. There may be delays scheduling new appointments.
• There may be some elective procedures that are postponed.

Most likely, yes.

Most likely, yes.

Most likely, yes. 

• Yes. According to the OPM, federal retirees under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) will continue to receive their scheduled annuity payments on the first business day of the month.
• Effective on January 1, 1987, FERS includes most federal employees; the CSRS system generally covers federal workers hired before 1984.

• Criminal litigation is likely to continue without interruption as an activity essential to the safety of human life and the protection of property. Since criminal litigation is excepted, domestic and international extraditions are also necessary to protect life and property and therefore excepted.
• Civil litigation will likely be curtailed or postponed to the extent that this can be done without compromising to a significant degree the safety of human life or the protection of property. The Department will likely limit its civil litigation staffing to the minimum level needed to comply with the court’s order and to protect life and property. Receipt of summonses, pleadings and motions by mail may be delayed.

• Most loss mitigation for homeowners facing foreclosure (including FHA loan modifications, FHA-HAMP, etc.) will continue.
• For a variety of housing questions, the Housing and Urban Department (HUD)/FHA Resource Center: (800) CALL-FHA (225-5342), and the HUD/FHA National Servicing Center: (877) 622-8525 will be available.

A: HUD’s Office of the Chief Procurement Officer will provide direct, written guidance to each contractor’s contract manager as to the status of their contract. You should contact your contract manager for instructions.

To ensure safety, HUD homeless assistance grants, including supportive housing for veterans and housing for people with AIDS, will continue to be funded. For the protection of property, Ginnie Mae (Government National Mortgage Association) will continue to guarantee mortgage-backed securities. A full list of HUD programs and their designations under a lapse in appropriations can be found on the HUD website as part of HUD’s Contingency Plan.

A: Most loss mitigation for homeowners facing foreclosure (including FHA loan modifications, FFTA-HAMP, etc.) will continue.

A: FHA has Field Service Managers (FSM) who are responsible for ensuring that properties are safely secured. If there is an issue that the FSM cannot handle, FHA will have some essential staff that will ensure that all the safety issues are addressed.

A: The staff at the FHA Resource Center can provide contact information for contractors responsible for the maintenance of HUD-owned properties.

A: The Housing Counseling System (HCS) will not be available.

A: You should contact your local PITA or TDHE for questions related to any pending evictions.

A: You may contact your local PHA, TDHE, and any other entity that might be of assistance in responding to your particular needs, including local government units such as building code enforcement and health departments.

A: You should contact your local Public Housing Agencies (PHA) or Tribally Designated Entity (TDHE) for questions related to any pending evictions

A: For HCV tenants, you may contact your local PHA, TDHE, and any other entity that might be of assistance in responding to your particular needs, including local government units such as building code enforcement and health departments. For public housing and project-based rental assistance housing (project-based Section 8, Section 202, Section 811), previously scheduled HUD safety and quality inspections will take place, and if HUD becomes aware of a threat to life or property, HUD will schedule an inspection by a HUD employee.

A: October HAP and administrative fees are currently scheduled to be disbursed at their normally scheduled time. However, any funding action which requires HUD staff assistance will not be processed during the government shutdown.

A:In general, during the period of a government shutdown, these applications will not be processed. However, tenant protection requests will be processed in cases where there is an imminent threat to lives or property (i.e., tenant eviction/displacement).

A: PHAs are not required to cease issuing vouchers during a government shutdown. PHAs should assess their financial ability to make payments on behalf of currently assisted households as well as those potentially to be sewed when considering their ability to issue vouchers.

A: You will be able to file housing discrimination complaints during the shutdown. However, your complaint will not be assessed until the government reopens. If timeliness is in question, complaints will be considered filed as of the date received by the department.

The U.S. Passport Agency will continue its operations unabated during the shutdown, ensuring the issuance of passports. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that the accessibility of passport services may be constrained based on geographical location. Passport services offered in facilities managed by other agencies subject to closure may be affected.

• Yes. United States embassies will remain open to some degree, but U.S. citizens living abroad should prepare for delays in any application or processing requests as staff furloughs may occur.

Please know that the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) uses fees to fund many operations and expects to continue with scheduled interviews and appointments. Please call 1-800-375-5283 for additional information.

• Air travel and security may be impacted by the shutdown, and travelers should arrive early for any departures and prepare for delays in clearing customs.
• Air traffic controllers may be working without pay, and the Federal Aviation Administration may ask furloughed aviation safety inspectors to continue.
• All aviation security workers – air traffic controllers, animal and plant inspectors, aviation safety experts, Customs and Border Patrol officials, and Transportation Security Agency officers -- are likely to be essential employees working without pay.

• Probably. USCIS is fee-funded, so it will likely remain open and continues to process applications. You should attend interviews and appointments as scheduled. Please call 1-800-375-5283 for additional information. However, the process may be delayed.

• E-Verify may suspended during the shutdown.

• An extended shutdown could affect colleges, universities, school districts, and vocational rehabilitation agencies that depend on federal funds to support key services and programs.
• Basic operations for Pell Grants and Direct Student Loans will continue for a limited time. However, students should contact their colleges or universities with specific questions about federal financial aid, including pending awards for incoming students.
• Some basic operations (such as processing Free Applications for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA, disbursing Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student Loans, and servicing federal student loans) could continue for a very limited time. These operations could also experience some level of disruption due to a lapse. 

• Yes. You should always submit your grant application ahead of the deadline.
• TheGrants.gov website will be operational, However, there may be limited staff to provide assistance depending on the agency.
• The Grants.gov Contact Center phone number is 1-800-518-GRANTS and its email is Support@Grants.gov.
• If a grant awardee is awaiting reimbursements, there may be a delay since most of the agency’s staff will be furloughed. 
• For new grants: If the federal agency has not executed the agreement, it will delay the award of the grant. 
• For new applicants: They should still meet deadlines, and it is recommended they do so before the potential shutdown. There may not be enough staff to answer questions should they need support on grants.gov or SAM.gov.
• Recipients who need to close out their grants should do so before the possible shutdown. There will be no opportunity to do so during a shutdown.

• In previous shutdowns, many national parks remained open for hiking, wildlife watching, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. Open-air parks and monuments in Washington, D.C. may be open, but indoor facilities like the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Park, the Smithsonian Museums, and the National Gallery of Art are likely to be closed.
• Campgrounds, concessions, and other services that require National Park Service staff will likely not be open.
• The vast majority of National Park Service employees are furloughed. Also, law enforcement staffing is sharply curtailed, so visitors' safety will be put at risk.

A shutdown may halt federal loans to small businesses. During a shutdown, the Small Business Administration (SBA) stops approving applications for small businesses to obtain loans and guarantees, typically $1 billion per month.

Some of the agency activities that the SBA would cease during a funding lapse are as follows: 

• CDC 504 Loan Program (no new loan approvals or program support).
• 7(a) Loan Program (no new loan approvals or program support).
• Microloan Program (no new loans to microloan intermediaries or technical assistance).
• Entrepreneurial Development (no management and oversight of resource partners).
• Women-Owned Small Business Contracting (no application processing or program support).
• Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Contracting (no application processing or program support).

All vital FDA activities related to imminent threats to the safety of human life will continue. This includes detecting and responding to public health emergencies, continuing to address existing critical public health challenges, and managing recalls, including drug shortages, and outbreaks related to foodborne illness and infectious diseases. Other vital activities that will continue are surveillance of adverse-event reports for issues that could cause human harm, the review of import entries to determine potential risks to human health, determining and conducting systems for cause and certain surveillance inspections of regulated facilities, and criminal enforcement work and certain civil investigations.