During a shutdown, most federal agencies and programs stop operations until new funding legislation is passed and signed into law. The federal budget consists of 12 appropriations bills that fund different departments and agencies. The government shuts down when Congress doesn’t pass and the President doesn’t sign any of these bills, typically because they do not include the funds for the president’s desired projects or activities. In the past, shutdowns have affected border security, inpatient medical care, air traffic control, law enforcement, disaster relief and power grid maintenance. But essential services like the FBI, Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration officers continue to work without pay. And some legislative and judicial staff have been protected under a decades-old ruling that they can carry out their constitutional duties even if the appropriations bills they depend on to pay their salaries lapse.
If Congress doesn’t pass any appropriations bills or a continuing resolution by March 14, it could lead to a full government shutdown. Agency employees who aren’t considered essential would be sent home without pay, and many of their regular activities would halt. For example, the IRS will still process tax returns but will no longer audit returns or accept new applications for refunds.
The agencies whose funding is most likely to dry up during this particular shutdown include the USDA and HUD, which administer important programs that directly and indirectly keep low-income Americans fed and housed. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and the Housing Choice Voucher program, known as Section 8, provide food for 19 million Americans and help more than 2 million families afford a roof over their heads. The National Institutes of Health will also be forced to delay new clinical trials for potential lifesaving drugs and treatments.