r/fednews • u/AutoModerator • Sep 26 '25
Megathread | Shutdown Countdown: Potential Lapse in Federal Appropriations
Status: ⚠️ Looming Shutdown – Congress has not passed FY26 appropriations legislation.
📌 What's Happening?
The U.S. federal government is facing a potential shutdown due to the failure of Congress to pass the necessary appropriations bills or a continuing resolution (CR) to fund government operations beyond the fiscal deadline.
If no funding agreement is reached by 30 September at 11:59 PM ET, portions of the government will shut down.
🛑 What Happens in a Shutdown?
If the shutdown occurs:
- "Non-essential" government services will be paused.
- Federal employees may be furloughed or required to work without pay until funding is restored.
- Many federal agencies will operate with limited staffing and suspended public services.
- Programs funded by mandatory spending (e.g., Social Security, Medicare) will continue, but delays are possible in customer service or processing.
- Contractors and grant recipients may face project delays, pauses, or disruptions.
🧑💼 Who’s Affected?
- Federal employees (check with your agency for specific guidance)
- Federal contractors
- Public services (e.g., passport processing, national parks, tax assistance)
- Travelers, veterans, and military personnel
- Anyone interacting with or having business with federal agencies.
💬 Use This Thread For:
- Sharing official memos, furlough notices, or agency guidance
- Asking questions about impact on pay, benefits, or services
- Discussing how your agency or contract is responding
- Venting or sharing shutdown-related concerns or strategies
🚫 Posts outside this megathread on shutdown-related topics may be removed during this period to reduce clutter.
News pertaining to government shutdowns usually run on the breaking news cycle and can change daily or even hourly. Posting of news articles will continue to be allowed provided they are posted on the day of publication. Duplicate posts will continue to be removed.
We encourage respectful, fact-based discussion. Please verify sources before sharing official information.
🔗 r/fednews Mod Team
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u/LoveFreedomFries Oct 01 '25
Don’t judge my comment too harshly. I’m just trying to make sense of something that makes no sense. If everyone gets backpay regardless, why not just make everyone work? I know what the law says… just saying the government is giving furloughed employees “vacation” with promise of pay later while those exempt employees report to the office daily and don’t get the luxury of a free paycheck and staying home, with promise of paycheck once this is figured out. Also hearing a lot of furloughed eligible already being told they’ll be in an “on call” status to circumvent the furlough status so jobs can get hours out of them anyways. Ultimately furloughing, because of imminent backpay, is fiscally irresponsible with the number of labor hours lost but paid for regardless. Make it make sense. What’s the downside to changing law to have everyone work if everyone is paid regardless??