2025 Government Shutdown Guide

2025 Government Shutdown Guide

On October 1, 2025, the federal government will shut down, if Congress does not pass a funding bill to extend government operations beyond the deadline at midnight on September 30, 2025.  

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a Continuing Resolution on Friday, September 19, 2025, with Congressman Rogers' support, to extend current funding for seven more weeks, giving Congress more time to finalize its work for fiscal year 2026. 

In the event of a government shutdown, my offices in Kentucky and on Capitol Hill will remain open to assist constituents of Kentucky's Fifth Congressional District. You can email me here or call 800-632-8588. 

FAQ

Social Security Benefits

  • Social Security benefit payments will continue. 

  • Continued activities include: applications for benefits, requests for appeals, post-entitlement actions, non-receipts and critical payments, payee changes, direct contact reinstatement of benefits, issance of original and replacement social security cards, prisoner activities-only beneficiary-initiated reinstatement of benefits, SSI non-medical redeterminations and continuing disability reviews, CDR-related appeals, critical information technology support for daily processing activities, IT acceleration work, and fraud prevention activities. 

  • Discontinued activities include: benefit verifications, earnings record corrections and updates unrelated to the adjudication of benefits, payee accountings, prison activities--suspension, requests from third parties for queries, FOIA requests, IT enhancement activities, replacement medicare cards, overpayments processing. 

Medicare and Medicaid Coverage

  • Medicare and Medicaid payments will continue during a federal shutdown.

  • Communications from the agencies or reaching out for assistance may be difficult or impossible due to the temporary staff furloughs. Messages, updates, or support could be stalled or outdated.

WIC and SNAP Payments

  • Funding for WIC (The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) will run out of remaining funding quickly and may be unable to provide food for children and parents in need.

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits may also be affected in the case of a prolonged shutdown.

Military Servicemembers

  • Yes, the Department of Defense will continue defending our nation and all military personnel will continue in their duties as usual, but servicemembers will not receive pay during a government shutdown. However, members of the military will receive backpay for their work once appropriations are passed.

Impact on Veterans

  • Veterans Benefits will continue to be disbursed.

  • Most functions within the Veterans Health Administration will continue and veterans will continue to receive compensation and pension claims.

  • The National Cemetery Administration’s (NCA) burial, scheduling of burials, first notice of death, and headstone processing functions should continue. Oversight and direct administration of the NCA program offices (Veterans Cemetery Grants Program, Engagement and Memorial Innovations, Cemetery Development and Improvement Service, Finance, Legislative and Regulatory Service, etc.) would pause until the end of the shutdown.

  • Click here for a full list of impacted VA services.

Student Loans

  • Pell Grants and Federal Direct Student Loans can continue to be obligated and make disbursement during a shutdown, as long as carryover and mandatory appropriations last. However, department staffing is significantly reduced.

  • Free Applications for Student Aids (FAFSA), Pell Grant, and Federal Direct Student Loans, and servicing of federal student loans could continue for a “very limited time” under a shutdown. If the shutdown continues for an extended period of time, school districts, colleges, and universities may begin to experience funding shortages due to lapsed federal funding.

USPS Mail Services

  • The U.S. Postal Service will operate normally during a shutdown.

Furloughed federal employees 

  • Under federal law (specifically, The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act), employees who are furloughed or made to work during a shutdown must be paid after it ends for the time the government was closed.

  • The Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) Guidance for Shutdown Furlough's In 2019, Congress passed the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act which states that furloughed employees must receive backpay, but government contractors are not necessarily protected under this law. 

Federal Housing Loans

  • The Federal Housing Administration will stop approving applications for housing loans. This will create major delays for approval of development, rehabilitation, and refinancing of properties that will likely persist in the period following the shutdown.

Small Businesses

  • The shutdown will impact federal loans to small businesses. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will not accept, review or approve any new business loans for small businesses.

Travel

  • TSA officers and air traffic controllers are considered essential, but will be working without pay during the shutdown.

  • Passport applications will continue to be processed during a shutdown. All passport services, including agencies and the National Passport Information Center, will remain open during a federal government shutdown.

  • All services at international embassies and consulates should continue during a shutdown. If you are abroad and need help, you should contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

Immigration Applications

  • Visa and passport operations are fee-funded and not normally impacted by a shutdown.

  • Immigration court cases on the detained docket should still proceed during a shutdown, while non-detained docket cases will be rescheduled to a later date once funding resumes.

  • The Department of Homeland Security estimates that Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should retain most of their employees and continue their work during a shutdown.

Tax Filing Extensions and Tax Refunds

  • If you filed for a six-month extension for your tax returns in April, you are still required to file by October 15.

  • The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is expected to maintain normal operations during a shutdown, meaning tax refunds and support should remain available.

Visitor Tours on Capitol Hill

  • Unfortunately, the tour guides and visitor centers of federal government buildings are considered non-essential and will be closed during a shutdown. This means that most tours of the U.S. Capitol, White House, and FBI Building will be canceled during a shutdown.

National Parks and Monuments

  • Some parks and open-air memorials may remain open without staffing, but services — including visitor centers, restrooms, trash pickup, and road maintenance — can be limited or unavailable. 

  • There would also be limited emergency rescue services and safety updates would not be published. Please keep this in mind when planning any visits.