Government shutdown countdown clock: When will it begin and how long will it last?

As of Thursday morning, a government shutdown that would affect millions of Americans seems almost certain.

House Republicans have so far been unable to come to an agreement on bills that would pass a Senate led by Democrats. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said the House will vote Friday on a continuing resolution (also called a stopgap measure) to fund the government for a short period, but it isn't clear he has the votes to pass it.

When would the government shutdown happen?

If Congress fails to pass the necessary appropriations bills or even a stopgap measure, the U.S. government will shut down at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1.

What happens during a government shutdown?

Federal workers are furloughed without pay for the duration. Some federal workers considered "essential," such as active-duty military, air traffic controllers, etc., are required to continue working without pay but will receive back pay once the shutdown ends.

All federal agencies and services that are not deemed essential will close their doors. Hiring and training of new employees stops. Funding for SNAP and WIC programs stops. New Head Start grants will not be available. Many food, health and clean water inspections from the FDA, OSHA and the EPA would stop. The Small Business Administration stops reviewing or approving loans.

How quickly does a government shutdown go into effect?

As far as the public is concerned, immediately. For the government employees involved, staff deemed nonessential will have a few hours to secure their files, hand over any information essential employees might need, pay invoices incurred before the shutdown and generally close up shop. If such preparations will take longer than half a day, the Office of Management and Budget must be notified.

How long can a government shutdown last?

Until Congress passes the necessary appropriations bills to fund government services and President Joe Biden signs them, however long that takes.

Previous government shutdowns have ranged from five to 21 days, with the longest being 35 days from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019, the third shutdown to happen during the Trump administration.

Who gets paid if the government shuts down?

Federal workers who are deemed essential will continue to work, but will not be paid for the duration of the shutdown and will receive back pay when it ends. Some federal employees whose jobs aren't funded by annually appropriated funds will receive their normal pay, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

However, not everyone can keep working for long without getting paid. If the shutdown continues for an extended period, expect more services to slow or fail due to staffers leaving to find other employment to feed their families.

Does Congress still get paid if the government shuts down?

Yes, but their staffs will be working unpaid. Salaries for members of Congress have been funded by a permanent appropriation since 1983, according to the Congressional Research Service.

The president will also get paid, per Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution.

Will a government shutdown affect Florida hurricane forecasts?

Not in the short term, judging from previous shutdowns. Workers at the National Hurricane Center are considered essential and will be working without pay. But social media posts may be limited to forecast and warning information only.

Meanwhile, hurricane analysis and research on improving forecast models will stop, as will training for new emergency managers and any outreach or education programs.

Will a government shutdown affect FEMA?

It already has. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has held back money for long-term recovery projects, including $555 million over the last month from Florida for Hurricane Ian recovery, to have some left in the Disaster Relief Fund in case of crisis during the shutdown, according to the Washington Post.

Will a government shutdown affect the military and national defense?

Active-duty military service members will remain on active duty, including nearly 65,000 military personnel in Florida, but they won't be paid until the shutdown is over. But many other aspects of the U.S. military such as systems testing and production will be affected.

"If the government shuts down, testing [of systems] will stop and acceptance by the government of equipment when it is finished and ready to be accepted [could] stop," said William A. LaPlante, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.

Contracts awarded before the shutdown will continue, according to Reuters, but federal contractors impacted by the shutdown will not be compensated for the time.

Will the government shutdown affect the Post Office?

No, The U.S. Postal Service is funded by sales of stamps and other services and is not impacted by a shutdown, the USPS said in a statement. Mail service will continue and employees will be paid as usual.

Will the government shutdown affect veterans benefits?

No. The Veterans Benefits Administration has received advance appropriations since 2017 and any carryover balances in discretionary accounts can be allocated for current operations, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. There are over 414,000 VA employees and the department says 96% of them will be fully funded or considered essential and required to work without pay.

VA healthcare payments and pensions will continue, as would the National Cemetery Administration’s assorted burial functions. But direct oversight of the NCA's programs would stop. So would IT functions that are deemed necessary, anything beyond basic HR support, representation by the VA Secretary before the courts for veterans claims, any public outreach or education, investigations of misconduct for a VA leader, and multiple oversight and quality review teams.

Will a government shutdown affect Social Security?

Social Security recipients will still get their checks, and Medicare benefits will not be interrupted. But employees in those departments may be furloughed, which may lead to delays in customer service.

Will the government shutdown affect food stamps?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, will continue for at least the month of October, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a press briefing Monday. But he warned that “if the shutdown were to extend longer than that, there would be some serious consequences to SNAP.”

But funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) would stop immediately, he said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a contingency fund that may extend the program for a day or two, and some states may have leftover unspent WIC benefits that could be used to keep it going in that state for a week or two.

Can I get a passport if the government shuts down?

Yes. According to the Department of State's contingency plan, consular services such as passports, visas and assisting U.S. citizens abroad will remain "100% operational," as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations. Passport offices that are in larger government buildings may be forced to shut down, however, for lack of access.

Will the government shutdown affect air travel?

Possibly, if the shutdown continues for very long. But short term, you may not notice.

The Federal Aviation Administration will furlough 16,646 of its employees during a shutdown but nearly 30,000 of them will stay in place to handle air traffic control, maintenance and operation of navigational aids, inspections, certain certifications, accident investigations, anti-terrorism and intelligence programs, etc. What stops will be development of new air traffic control specialists, facility security inspections, routine background investigations, development and testing of new technologies, air traffic performance analysis, law enforcement assistance support and various other administrative functions.

The Transportation Security Administration estimates that nearly 56,000 TSA employees will be exempted or excepted from the shutdown, out of their July 31, 2022 total of 59,203. This does not include Federal Air Marshals, as that number is considered sensitive. Those TSA employees will remain on the job, unpaid.

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Will national parks be closed during the government shutdown?

Unclear. There are no specific laws requiring them to shut down, although employees would be limited to law enforcement and other necessary personnel. During past shutdowns in 2013 and 2018 the government decided to keep them open and close them down, respectively, and both decisions received backlash.

Will the government shutdown affect the Coast Guard?

The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that 43,664 of the agency's 49,686 employees (as of July 31) will be retained during the shutdown. All emergency and life-saving functions will continue but any non-essential services will stop.

During a government shutdown, do I still have to pay my student loan bills?

Yes.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Government shutdown: Social Security, TSA, food stamps, mail, parks