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Government Shutdown
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Government Shutdown
Which Agencies Are Open and Closed?
Which federal agencies are closed, which are working without pay, and which are still open? This page provides a comprehensive list of the status of all major government departments and services for Day 32 of the 2025 shutdown, a crisis caused by the failure to pass the GOP funding bill.
Are You Affected?
Find Financial Assistance Now
If you are a furloughed employee, a contractor, or a family affected by benefit cuts, our main resource page has links to food banks, unemployment offices, and financial aid.
Get Help Here →Primary Source
Official Agency Plans
The White House (OMB) requires every agency to publish a contingency plan. You can view the full, official list of all government plans on the OMB website.
View All Official Plans (OMB.gov) →Status at a Glance
Category 1
CLOSED / FURLOUGHED
These agencies are shut down. Most employees are furloughed. This includes National Parks, IRS, SBA, NASA, and most of the EPA and FDA.
Category 2
WORKING WITHOUT PAY
“Excepted” employees (essential for safety) must work but are not being paid. This includes TSA, FAA, Border Patrol, and Active Military.
Category 3
OPEN & FUNDED
These agencies are self-funded (Post Office) or have mandatory/advance funding (Social Security, VA) and are operating normally.
Key Definitions (Furloughed vs. Excepted)
These terms, based on a law called the Antideficiency Act, determine who works and who goes home.
Furloughed
“Non-Essential” Staff
A furloughed employee is sent home and is forbidden from working (not even checking email). They are not paid, but federal law guarantees they will receive back pay *after* the shutdown ends.
Excepted
“Essential” Staff
An excepted employee is essential for “the safety of human life or the protection of property.” They **must** report to work but **will not be paid** until the shutdown ends. This includes TSA, law enforcement, and military.
Exempt
Funded Staff
An exempt employee is not affected because their salary is not paid by the annual bill that failed. This includes self-funded agencies (like the Post Office) or mandatory programs (like Social Security).
Congress & The White House
U.S. Congress
Members are PAID
By law (Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution), members of Congress continue to be paid. However, their staff are furloughed. Many Senators and Representatives have stated they will donate their salary during the shutdown.
The White House
Partially Furloughed
The Executive Office of the President is severely impacted. In the last long shutdown, over 1,000 of 1,700 staff were furloughed. The President, military, and Secret Service staff continue to work.
Official EOP Plan →Closed / Furloughed (Services Halted)
These agencies are almost entirely shut down, and their employees are furloughed without pay. Services are frozen.
Dept. of Interior
National Park Service (NPS)
All 400+ National Parks are closed. Campgrounds are shuttered, and services (including restrooms and road maintenance) are stopped. (Est. 16,000 employees furloughed).
Official DOI Plan →Museums & Culture
Smithsonian Museums
All 19 Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are closed to the public. (Est. 80%+ of staff furloughed).
Official SI Plan →Dept. of Treasury
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Vast majority of IRS staff (Est. 60,000+) are furloughed. Tax refunds are frozen. Audits are paused. All taxpayer phone and in-person services are unavailable.
Official Treasury Plan →Business
Small Business Admin. (SBA)
The SBA is shut down (Est. 90%+ employees furloughed). All processing for new SBA-backed business loans (like 7(a) and 504) is frozen.
Official SBA Plan →Dept. of Agriculture
USDA (Benefit Admin)
Administrative staff (Est. 50,000+) are furloughed. As of Nov 1, funding for SNAP and WIC has lapsed. See our SNAP/WIC Status page for details.
Official USDA Plan →Food & Drug Admin. (FDA)
Routine Food Inspections
While staff handling immediate threats continue to work, all routine food safety inspections of seafood, produce, and packaged goods are halted, increasing public risk.
Official HHS Plan →Health & Human Services
NIH Clinical Trials
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is largely closed. Critically, new patients are not being accepted for clinical trials. Existing patients will continue to receive care.
Official HHS Plan →Science & Research
NASA
Over 90% of NASA staff (Est. 17,000) are furloughed. Mission-critical operations (like the Space Station) continue, but all new research and development is paused.
Official NASA Plan →Housing
Dept. of Housing (HUD)
New loan processing and community grants are frozen. Support for public housing authorities and Section 8 voucher administration is at risk as funding contracts expire. (Est. 7,000+ employees furloughed).
Official HUD Plan →Education
Department of Education
Over 90% of staff are furloughed. All processing of FAFSA applications and disbursement of new student aid is halted. Grant funding for states and schools is also frozen.
Official Dept. of Ed Plan →Environment
Environmental Protection (EPA)
Most EPA staff (Est. 13,000+) are furloughed. Work on Superfund cleanup sites is paused, as are most inspections for air and water pollution. Only emergency response teams remain.
Official EPA Plan →Homeland Security
E-Verify System
The E-Verify system is shut down. This means employers cannot run new hires through the system to verify their eligibility to work in the United States.
Official DHS Plan →Working Without Pay (Excepted)
These agencies are “excepted” because they are critical to national security and public safety. Their employees are required to work but will not receive a paycheck until the shutdown ends.
Dept. of Homeland Security
TSA
All TSA officers (Est. 60,000+) must work without pay. This is leading to high “sick out” rates and long airport security lines. See our Travel Alerts page.
Official DHS Plan →Dept. of Transportation
Air Traffic Control (FAA)
All Air Traffic Controllers (Est. 14,000+) are working without pay. Staffing shortages have caused ground stops at major airports. See our Airport Delays page.
Official DOT Plan →Dept. of Homeland Security
Customs & Border Patrol (CBP)
All Border Patrol agents and customs officers (Est. 54,000+) at ports of entry (airports, land borders) are required to work without pay to maintain national security.
Official DHS Plan →Dept. of Defense
Active Duty Military
All 1.3 million active duty military personnel are essential and must report for duty. Their pay is delayed until a funding bill is passed.
Official DOD Plan →Dept. of Justice
Federal Prisons & FBI
Correctional officers at federal prisons (Est. 30,000+), as well as FBI agents and other federal law enforcement, are required to work without pay to ensure public safety.
Official DOJ Plan →Dept. of Commerce
National Weather Service
Meteorologists and forecasters at NOAA’s National Weather Service are essential and continue to work without pay to issue weather alerts and forecasts.
Official Commerce Plan →Open & Funded (Unaffected)
These agencies are operating normally, either because they are self-funded (through fees and sales) or are funded by “mandatory” spending or advance appropriations.
Independent Agency
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
The USPS is funded by the sale of postage, not by Congress. Mail delivery will continue as normal.
Official USPS Plan →Mandatory Spending
Social Security
Social Security payments are mandatory spending from a trust fund and are not affected. Checks will be mailed and deposited on time. New card applications may be delayed.
Official SSA Plan →Mandatory Spending
Medicare & Medicaid
These are mandatory spending programs and will continue to operate. Payments to doctors and hospitals will continue.
Official HHS Plan →Advance Funding
Veterans Affairs (VA)
VA medical care is essential and will continue. Most other VA benefits (disability, pension) were advance-funded by Congress and are not affected.
Official VA Plan →Fee-Funded
Passport Services
Passport services are funded by application fees. Operations will continue, but offices inside closed federal buildings (like an IRS building) are inaccessible.
Official State Dept. Plan →Fee-Funded (Limited)
Federal Courts
Federal courts are operating on fee revenue. After 32 days, these funds are nearly gone. Courts will soon be forced to halt all non-essential civil cases.
Official Courts Plan →Quasi-Public
Amtrak
Amtrak is a corporation, not a federal agency, and is fully operational. However, federal grants for long-term expansion and capital projects are paused.
Amtrak Homepage →Independent Agency
Federal Reserve
The Fed is self-funded through its own operations and is not part of the appropriations process. It is completely unaffected.
Federal Reserve Homepage →
