Federal government shutdowns can disrupt air travel, threaten food assistance programs for millions of people, and leave federal workers without pay.
November 09, 2025
high
policy_impact
Common effects reported during U.S. federal government funding lapses.
Individual appropriations bills are often organized to fund specific programs or parts of government, for example food assistance programs, veterans' programs, and the operations of the legislative branch.
November 07, 2025
high
structural
Examples of program areas commonly funded through separate appropriations bills.
Government shutdowns can suspend or delay federal benefit payments, including food assistance, and can produce operational disruptions in federally managed services such as air travel when staffing shortages (for example, of air traffic controllers) occur.
high
temporal
Summarizes typical service and program impacts associated with federal funding interruptions.