2025 Shutdown Information
To help you plan for a possible federal government shutdown, my office has prepared the following answers to these frequently asked questions. You can also contact my Washington DC office at 202-225-6631 with questions or concerns, or my St. Paul office at 651-224-9191 for personal impacts. Read my statement on the Republican government shutdown here.
Please note: This FAQ is based on information from prior shutdowns. The Trump administration has not yet made up-to-date agency shutdown or “lapse” plans public for all agencies and Trump himself has made threats to manipulate a shutdown for political gain, change agency operations significantly, and use civil servants as pawns by firing them en masse as he has been doing all year.
Will I continue to receive my Social Security and SSI benefits?
Yes. Recipients will continue to receive their Social Security and SSI benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) will continue providing limited services like issuing Social Security cards and holding appointments for benefit applications. However, SSA will stop some activities like benefit verifications and processing overpayments and the public will likely experience increased wait times for customer service.
Will I continue to receive my Medicare and Medicaid benefits?
Yes. Medicare and Medicaid will be largely unaffected by a shutdown lasting less than three months. Current beneficiaries will continue to receive their benefits.
What is the impact on veterans' services?
All Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities and clinics will remain fully operational. The VA will continue to process veterans’ benefits, including disability compensation, pension payments, and healthcare services. Critical support such as the Veterans Crisis Line, MyVA411, and ongoing burials at national cemeteries will continue.
However, several programs and services that veterans rely on are being delayed or suspended during the shutdown. New GI Bill tuition and housing payments, as well as stipends under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Veteran Readiness & Employment (VR&E), and Dependents Educational Assistance programs, are not being processed — despite VA’s public claims to the contrary. The VA’s Education Call Center is closed, and regional benefit offices are not providing in-person support. The VA has also stopped responding to congressional casework inquiries, a sharp break from past precedent even though the department retains carryover funding that would allow those services to continue. This refusal has left thousands of veterans without timely help resolving disability, pension, and records issues through their members of Congress.
At the same time, roughly 30% of the federal workforce are veterans , meaning many are being hit twice: losing paychecks as federal employees while also losing access to basic services. The ongoing attrition and early retirements at the VA, including over 30,000 positions lost in the past year; have already strained staffing levels. More cuts or prolonged shutdowns threaten to worsen backlogs in claims, appeals, and care delivery.
Veterans, their families, and survivors are not bargaining chips — they deserve certainty, not political games. Republicans abandoned the possibility of a bipartisan agreement to fund the government and protect Americans’ healthcare, manufacturing a crisis and making pawns out of veterans and their benefits. The Republicans’ decision to tie annual veterans’ program extensions to a hyper-partisan continuing resolution rather than passing a standalone extension before the deadline is an attempt to leverage veterans’ services in their partisan fight. They failed to fully fund essential veteran benefits, including the PACT Act for FY26, and veterans will ultimately bear the consequences.
Republicans in Congress have refused to reverse devastating cuts to Medicare and Medicaid that they reenacted earlier this year, and they are refusing to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits that are set to expire at the end of this year. This refusal will dramatically increase healthcare costs for tens of millions of veterans and non-veterans alike, as health insurance plans limit options, premiums soar, deductibles rise, and Americans face crippling out-of-pocket costs. These political games have consequences: 1.6 million veterans are enrolled in Medicaid, 600,000 veterans purchase health insurance through the ACA marketplace, and 1.3 million veterans rely on Medicare. Many of these veterans do not live near VA facilities or are not eligible for VA care — meaning cuts to Medicaid, premium subsidies, and community hospitals directly undermine access to healthcare for veterans across the country.
Will military and federal retiree benefits continue?
Yes. Military and federal retirees will continue to receive their retirement benefits. However, processing new applications or other requested changes will be delayed. Roughly 30% of veterans are employed in the federal workforce. They could be affected by a shutdown twice: missing paychecks and losing access to government services. Veterans are farmers, small business owners, and consumers who are suffering from the economic impact of Trump’s tariffs. Instead of spending his weekend trying to avert a government shutdown, Trump imposed a new round of tariffs that will make necessities even more expensive. VA will be unable to utilize already appropriated funding to support homeless veterans through street outreach, drop-in centers, shelter capacity, safe havens, rapid rehousing, and prevention.
Which federal employees keep working during a government shutdown?
When the government shuts down, federal agencies are required to classify their employees whose salaries have lapsed as either "excepted" or "not excepted." The employees classified as "excepted" work without pay during the shutdown. The employees classified as "not excepted" are put on unpaid furlough. Under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, all federal employees are retroactively paid for the duration of the shutdown upon its conclusion. Donald Trump has threatened to needlessly fire thousands of federal workers during a shutdown, as he has been trying to do all year.
What is the impact on U.S. military personnel and federal law enforcement?
In previous shutdowns, all active-duty and Guard and Reservists on active-duty orders were excepted and therefore are required to work. On-base non-acute health care ceased, but off-base care provided through Tricare was not affected. On-base child care was open on a case-by-case basis. Federal law enforcement was also required to work. Both military personnel and federal law enforcement will not be paid until after the shutdown is over.
Will my mail still arrive?
Yes. The U.S. Postal Service is not affected by a shutdown.
Will commercial air travel be affected?
No. In prior shutdowns, air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents remained on the job. However, like all federal employees, they will not be paid until the shutdown is over. In previous shutdowns, there were increased instances of TSA agents calling in sick.
What is the impact on small businesses?
In prior shutdowns, the Small Business Administration (SBA) stopped processing new business loans, such as through the 7(a) and 504 programs. However, SBA’s Disaster Loan Program continued regular operations.
What is the impact on the courts?
Federal courts will continue to operate during a shutdown. Courts will continue to hear cases and discharge their constitutional duty even once their funding, including court fees and reserve funds, have lapsed. District and Appeals Courts will not allow President Trump and his Administration to use a shutdown as a blank check to violate the law and the Constitution. The Administration assumes no new constitutional or legislative powers in a shutdown to fire federal workers.
What is the impact on federal housing loans?
In prior shutdowns, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) stopped insuring some new mortgages and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stopped processing some new loans. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) also stopped new loan and loan guarantee activity. The VA will continue to guarantee home loans.
What is the impact on disaster relief efforts?
FEMA staff will still respond to emergencies. In prior shutdowns, long-term projects were delayed due to a lack of funding in the Disaster Relief Fund.
What is the impact on food safety activities?
In prior shutdowns, some Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food safety activities — such as routine inspections of facilities — were delayed.
How does a government shutdown affect WIC?
During a government shutdown, WIC remains open as long as funding is available. Historically, WIC services have never lapsed due to a government shutdown. WIC has been able to temporarily maintain services for participants during shutdowns by drawing on specific types of funding. However, a shutdown at the start of a fiscal year presents additional challenges as states do not have as much funding on hand.
Unless told otherwise, WIC participants should continue to use their benefits and attend scheduled appointments, while eligible people should continue to apply. More information here.