government shutdowns

Government shutdowns can delay military construction projects and disrupt services for service members and military families, and recovering from those disruptions can take months.

Government shutdowns that cause federal employees to go without pay can increase absenteeism, including sick-call rates, among workers who provide essential services.

Government shutdowns can lead to government offices being closed, hundreds of thousands of federal employees being placed on leave, and delays or threats to scheduled paydays.

Government shutdowns can delay infrastructure projects and can result in federal transportation workers, such as TSA agents and air traffic controllers, not being paid on time.

When there is a lapse in congressional appropriations for the U.S. federal government (a government shutdown), some civilian federal employees are typically placed on furlough and do not work while other employees designated as essential continue to work; employees in both groups can be without pay during the lapse in appropriations.

Government shutdowns can cause federal employees to miss paychecks and can disrupt federally funded services such as air traffic control operations and food assistance programs.

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.