A government shutdown occurs when the President and Congress are unable to agree on budget allocations before the existing funding cycle ends. During a shutdown, all non-essential functions stop until new funding legislation is passed and signed into law. In previous shutdowns, border protection, in-hospital medical care, air traffic control, and law enforcement have been considered essential services that continue to function during a lapse in funding. Other vital services such as Social Security checks, food inspections, and military family support are not funded during a lapse in appropriations and therefore may be interrupted or disrupted.
The impact of a shutdown also extends to thousands of federal workers, many of whom are considered “excepted” and required to report for work during a lapse in funding (i.e., they work without pay). Congress has customarily provided back-pay for furloughed employees when normal funding resumes.
Affected citizens also experience the disruption of services they depend on for their daily lives, including the closure of museums and national parks, delays at airport security checkpoints and at domestic and international flight hubs, and the loss of important data that helps small businesses make good decisions. For example, the 2013 shutdown stalled food safety inspections by the EPA and the FDA, and it halted international trade by preventing the Commerce Department from processing export licenses and certifying more than $24 billion in loan applications. This unnecessary harm, uncertainty, and erosion of public trust will take years to repair if it can be repaired at all.