How a Government Shutdown Could Affect You

Find out how it could impact your Social Security, Medicare, travel and more

Kenneth Terrell and Susan Milligan,

Updated March 14, 2024

AARP

Comments

En español

Published September 25, 2023

/ Updated March 14, 2024

interior of the capitol rotunda inside the dome looking up next to a large statue

The Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

The nation dodged a shutdown of the federal government after lawmakers passed an agreement to fund the government through September 30. Had Congress failed to approve the deal by 12:01 a.m. March 15, many federal agencies would have had to temporarily curtail operations while they already are dealing with layoffs and other cuts to resources.

During a shutdown, certain services deemed "essential" keep going even without an approved federal funding deal. Millions of Americans would continue to receive their Social Security, Medicare and veterans’ benefits, for example. People would also still be able to get their letters and prescription drugs delivered uninterrupted through the U.S. mail, among other essential services.

But many people would also feel the impact of government functions and services that would come to a halt. And federal workers whose jobs are deemed "essential" would have to work without pay, while all federal workers would need to wait for reimbursement until a funding package is ultimately approved. In recent weeks thousands of federal workers have either been laid off or accepted buyouts as part of President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency initiative to downsize the government. The impact of how furloughs would have combined with these job cuts was unknown but could have hit hard.

On March 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a "continuing resolution" to keep the government running through the end of September by a 217-213 vote. On March 14, the Senate passed the bill by a vote of 54-46 President Trump is expected to sign the legislation.

While most federal agencies rely on congressional appropriations to pay for their operations, Social Security and Medicare are considered mandatory programs and the benefits they provide are not subject to annual appropriations. Nevertheless, while key functions would continue in the event of a shutdown, some services might be curtailed depending on how long the shutdown lasts.

Continuing resolutions are stopgap measures to keep the government functioning while Congress hammers out details of federal appropriations. Internal fighting on Capitol Hill has made continuing resolutions more common, as lawmakers fail to agree on spending levels and priorities.

The last time large portions of the federal government shut down was from Dec. 22, 2018, to Jan. 25, 2019. That 35-day shutdown was the longest in history.

The final deal to keep the government open required some support from both parties in the closely-divided Congress. The full effects of a shutdown would not have been felt until Monday, when most government offices open.

If a shutdown had happened, here’s a look at how it could have affected these vital services.

Social Security

Social Security benefits would be paid as usual. They have a dedicated funding source (the payroll taxes most U.S. workers pay on their earnings) and are not subject to the annual appropriations process.

However, Congress does determine how much the Social Security Administration (SSA) can spend on operations, and customer service can be affected by a shutdown. According to the SSA's shutdown contingency plan, most routine services would continue, including processing applications for benefits, hearing cases on appeal, and issuing new and replacement Social Security cards. Field offices and phone lines would remain open.

A few customer services that are not considered essential would be suspended, including benefit verifications.

Medicare

Like Social Security, Medicare services would largely continue as normal. Enrollees could still go to the doctor or hospital and get their drug prescriptions filled. Depending on how long a shutdown lasts, medical providers could see a lag in their payments.

If you want to enroll in Medicare during a shutdown, you could still go to ssa.gov and fill out an application. The Medicare hotline (800-633-4227) would continue to operate.

One service that wouldn’t be available during a shutdown is getting a replacement Medicare card. Those are generated by the Social Security Administration, which says it wouldn’t issue replacement Medicare cards during a shutdown.

Mail delivery

Letters and packages would be delivered as usual, and post office branches would remain open. The U.S. Postal Service is an independent agency, and because it does not depend on the federal budget for its funding, it wouldn’t be affected by a shutdown.

Veterans

Most government services for military veterans and their families would continue during a shutdown, including within the Veterans Health Administration. VA hospitals would remain open and fully staffed. The Tricare health insurance program would continue to operate as usual. Veterans would still get their pension benefits, and claims would continue to be processed.

Transportation

Air travel: Commercial flights would continue as usual. Air traffic controllers and airport security screeners are considered essential workers, so they would remain on the job. However, if you’re traveling by plane, you may want to get to the airport a little earlier than usual. During the partial government shutdown of 2018–2019, security lines at some airports were longer than usual because many TSA screeners, who like other essential federal workers were required to work without being paid, called in sick.

Train travel: Amtrak trains would keep running as usual. Although federally owned, Amtrak is chartered as a private corporation and not subject to a government shutdown. During the 2018–2019 shutdown, Amtrak service was not affected.

Passports: The State Department would continue to issue and renew passports and visas. Routine passport applications can be completed at most post offices, which would remain open during a government shutdown. However, some passport offices located in federal buildings may be closed, so it would be a good idea to check before going to one.

Food safety

Meat, poultry, eggs and various species of catfish that are processed at nearly 7,000 commercial facilities in the U.S. would continue to be inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. It’s not clear how other food-processing facilities — such as cereal makers, ice cream plants and cheese factories — would be affected. During the 2018–2019 shutdown, routine U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspections were initially stopped. Some were later restored.

Drug Safety

The FDA would continue to approve drugs, inspect drug-manufacturing facilities and regulate tobacco products, as these functions are paid for by user fees. It would also continue to address imminent threats to human health or life including outbreaks of foodborne illness and infectious diseases, product recalls and drug shortages.

Nutrition

The Department of Agriculture, which runs the federal food assistance programs for lower-income families, has said in the past that these benefits “will continue to the extent that funds … are available to support those programs.” This includes the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In previous shutdowns, that has meant that benefits go out as usual during the first month, but if the government remains unfunded after 30 days, recipients could see benefit delays.

National parks and monuments

During the threat of the 2023 government shutdown, National Park Service officials said if a shutdown took place, all sites would be closed.

During the 2018–2019 shutdown, most of the parks remained open but with very limited services and staffing. While visitors were able to visit many of the parks and landmarks during that shutdown, parks employees were furloughed so visitors faced mounting trash and uncleaned restrooms.

The Smithsonian Institution

The various Smithsonian facilities use a combination of government and private funding to pay for operation of museums and activities. The agency has said in the past that when those funds run out, the institution’s contingency plans would allow only those employees protecting life and property or engaging in shutdown operations or management to continue to work. Most of the institution’s security, cleaning, maintenance and support staffs are funded with federal funds, and the institution would shut down its facilities to the public. In Washington, the Smithsonian operates 21 museums and the National Zoo.

The Smithsonian adopted a similar strategy in 2019, with prior-year funds used to keep facilities open for 11 days after the shutdown began. It gets about 62 percent of its funding from the U.S. government.

Randy Lilleston, Andy Markowitz and Peter Urban contributed to this article.

Recommended for You

Benefits Recommended For You

See All