What Happens If the Government Shuts Down?

Reviewed: November 9, 2026

The federal government runs on money Congress approves each year. When that money lapses and nothing replaces it, agencies must stop most work: a government shutdown. Congress now has until December 11, 2026 to act.

Why it happens

• The fiscal year starts on October 1. Congress is supposed to pass the annual spending (appropriations) bills by then; when it can't, it passes a continuing resolution (CR), a stopgap that keeps funding at current levels for a set time.
• If neither a spending bill nor a CR is in place, there is a funding gap. Under the Antideficiency Act, agencies generally can't spend money that Congress hasn't appropriated, so they shut down everything that isn't allowed to continue (Congressional Research Service, R47693).
• Like any bill, a spending bill or CR needs to pass the House and the Senate, where most bills need 60 votes to end a filibuster, and be signed by the president.

Who keeps working, and who gets paid

• Excepted employees, such as those whose work protects life or property, keep working without pay until funding returns. Everyone else is furloughed: sent home without pay.
• Since the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, furloughed and excepted federal employees are guaranteed back pay once the shutdown ends. Federal contractors are not covered.
• Programs funded outside the annual bills, such as Social Security benefits, keep paying out, though some of the staff who run them depend on annual funding. Each agency follows its own shutdown plan under OMB Circular A-11, section 124.

Past shutdowns

• The longest on record began October 1, 2025 and ended November 12, 2025, when the House passed a funding bill 222–209 and the president signed it that night (NPR). CRS counts it as 42 full days; it's often reported as 43.
• The next longest ran from December 22, 2018 to January 25, 2019 (34 full days by CRS's count), and from December 16, 1995 to January 6, 1996 (21 full days) (CRS, R41759).

The December 11, 2026 deadline

• In September 2026 Congress passed a stopgap, the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, that funds the government through December 11, 2026. No full-year spending bills for fiscal 2027 have been enacted.
• Lawmakers returned on November 9, 2026 for the lame-duck session. Besides funding, the agenda includes the annual defense bill (NDAA) and the farm bill. Democrats, who won both chambers on November 3, take over on January 3, 2027, so the outgoing Congress can pass full-year bills, another short CR into the new Congress, or neither.
• Follow the days left, the spending bills and every funding vote on the shutdown countdown. See what a lame-duck session is, how a bill becomes law and what Congress is doing.

Sources: Congressional Research Service, "Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview" / shutdown FAQ (R47693, January 15, 2026) and "Past Government Shutdowns" (R41759, September 16, 2026); NPR via OPB, "House votes to end longest-ever shutdown" (November 13, 2025); Harvard Office for Research, "Congress Extends Government Funding Through December 11" (September 2026); LeadingAge (September 2026); Gray DC via WBTV, "Congress enters lame duck session following midterm elections" (November 7, 2026).

More explainers

• What Is the Filibuster? How the Senate's 60-Vote Rule Works
• How a Bill Becomes Law: The Steps in Congress
• How Impeachment Works: The House Charges, the Senate Tries
• How to Force a House Vote: Privileged Resolutions, Discharge
• How Is the Speaker of the House Elected?
• What Senate Control Means for Nominations and Laws
• Divided Government, Explained

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