Examples of Services That Would Be Affected
- The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) would not endorse any single-family mortgage loans or have staff available to process and approve new multifamily loans. FHA single-family lending represents a market share of more than 20 percent of overall loan volume (home purchases and re-financing).
- No new approvals of SBA-guaranteed loans for business working capital, real estate investment or job creation activities would occur.
- National Parks, National Forests, and the Smithsonian Institution would be closed.
- Those filing paper tax returns would not receive tax refunds from the IRS, and many taxpayers would be unable to receive service from the IRS to help them meet their tax obligations. For example, 400 walk-in service centers would be closed.
- The Mine Safety and Health Administration would not be able to conduct regular safety and health inspections.
- Only emergency passport services would be open; normal processing would not.
- Department of Commerce grant-making programs for economic development would cease, as would most payments by HUD's Community Development Block Grant program to State and local governments.
- USDA would not be able to approve any grants, loans or loan guarantees for its rural housing, utilities, business, and community facilities programs.
- Farm loans, farm payment, and enrollment in conservation programs would cease.
- Agricultural export credit and other agricultural trade development and monitoring would stop.
- The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund would suspend its grants and technical assistance to communities across the country, delaying investments that finance businesses and create jobs in distressed neighborhoods.
- Inspections of stock brokers, receipt and publication of corporate financial disclosures, and routine oversight of financial markets by Federal agencies would cease. Enforcement actions would be postponed in all but a few cases.
- Certain FEMA flood mitigation and flood insurance operations would be suspended.
- Agricultural export credit activity and other agricultural trade development and monitoring would cease.
- Most of the Veterans Benefits Administration customer support services would be suspended.
- Most Department of Defense budget planning and preparation would cease; military personnel would not receive paychecks during a funding lapse.
- Customer service would be reduced across the federal government.
- Department of Justice civil litigation activities, including civil rights enforcement and defensive litigation (where the U.S. government is a defendant), would mostly stop.
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) processing would cease. Examples of Services That Would Remain Operational
- The Federal Aviation Administration would keep the air traffic control system open and safe.
- FEMA disaster operations would continue.
- Social Security checks would be sent to beneficiaries.
- National Weather Service alerts and forecasts, as well as volcano and earthquake monitoring by other agencies, would continue.
- The U.S. Postal Service would continue mail collection, delivery, and other operations.
- Customs and Border Protection activity would continue.
- Military operations in Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq would continue.
- NASA satellite missions currently in operation would continue.
- SNAP, WIC, and other child nutrition benefits would continue.
- Most Federal Student Aid operations would continue.
- Core Federal law enforcement, such as the FBI and U.S. Marshals, would continue, as would prison and detention operations.
- Medical services for veterans would continue to be available.
- FDA monitoring of drug imports would continue.
- Meat and poultry inspection would continue.
- Treasury's core payment and collection programs would remain operational. What about the military? I have received a lot of questions from active duty members, civilians in the military workforce and military families. Here is a rundown from the Pentagon: Department of Defense (DoD) Operations During a Shutdown "Operations and activities that are essential to safety, protection of human life, and protection of our national security, are 'excepted' from shutting down. The DoD will continue to conduct activities in support of our national security, including operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Japan; Libya-related support operations; and other operations and activities essential to the security of our nation. The department must also continue to provide for the safety of human life and protection of property. "Other excepted activities will include inpatient and essential outpatient care in DoD medical treatment facilities; emergency dental care; non-appropriated funds activities such as mess halls and child care activities; certain legal activities to support ongoing litigation and legal assistance for deployed DoD personnel; contracting and logistics operations that are in support of excepted activities; certain education and training activities to include the DoD education activity schools; and financial management activities necessary to ensure the control and accountability of funds. "In the absence of appropriations, non-excepted activities that have not already been fully funded will need to be shut down in an orderly fashion. In accordance with existing laws and regulations, I will issue more detailed guidance to the department regarding specific activities that are considered excepted or non-excepted. However, the secretary and I understand that the military departments and defense agencies and individual commanders must tailor this guidance to many different situations around the world. Therefore, should there be a government shutdown, DoD personnel will be informed through their chain of command about how a shutdown may affect them personally. Duty Status "Military personnel are not subject to furlough and will report for duty as normal during the shutdown. Reserve component personnel should refer to the DoD Contingency Guidance document and to their chain of command for more specific information. "Civilian personnel deemed to be performing excepted activities will continue to work during the period of a shutdown. "If there is a government shutdown beginning on Saturday, April 9, all DoD personnel should still report to work on their next scheduled duty day, beginning at their normal duty hours to receive additional instructions. "Civilians will be briefed by their supervisors by Friday, April 8, as to whether their work and responsibilities fall into excepted or non-excepted status, as defined by applicable laws and regulations. Excepted status categories are outlined in the DoD Contingency Guidance document, which is being distributed through the chain of command. If their work and responsibilities are non-excepted, or if they are not needed to carry out excepted work and responsibilities, employees will be furloughed in a non-pay status. Furloughed employees may not telework or volunteer to work. "Generally, contractors performing work on contracts funded prior to a shutdown, whether supporting excepted activities or not, may continue working and will be paid out of the obligated funds, subject to further direction from the contracting officer. New contracts, or increases in funding of existing contracts, needed to support excepted activities may be entered into during the period of a shutdown, but payments under such contracts cannot be made until Congress provides additional funding. Contract personnel should also report to work on Monday, April 11, to be briefed on their status. Military, Civilian, and Retiree Pay "If the government shuts down due to the absence of funding, the DoD will have no funds to pay military members or civilian employees for the days during which the government is shut down. However, both military and civilian personnel will receive pay for the period worked prior to the shutdown. Military personnel, and civilians occupying excepted status positions and required to work, are entitled to be paid for work performed during the shutdown, and will be paid retroactively once the department receives additional funding. Congress would have to provide authority in order for the department to retroactively pay non-excepted employees for the furloughed period. "Military retirees and annuitants are not paid from annually appropriated funds, and therefore their benefits should continue without interruption.
