On employees Furloughed workers 900,000federal workers were estimated to have been
furloughed, and an additional 700,000 may have worked without pay, according to the
Partnership for Public Service. The
Department of Agriculture intended to lay off workers. On October8, the
Internal Revenue Service announced furloughs for 34,000employees, about 50% of its staff.
Pay status Members of Congress are guaranteed pay during government shutdowns due to a permanent appropriation passed in 1983, allowing their pay to not be renewed annually compared to other departments. The average member is paid an annual salary of $174,000, with the speaker of the House earning $223,500 and party leaders in each chamber and the
president pro tempore of the Senate earning $193,400. Previous shutdowns required Congress to approve back pay for employees, but a 2019 law made it mandatory, except for contractors not included in the law. According to a
Bipartisan Policy Center review, about 830,000federal workers were continuously paid during the shutdown, while over 1million were unpaid. Senate staffers were told on October17 that they would not receive a paycheck on October20 or for the rest of the shutdown. The
judicial branch also announced that it had run out of funding to cover full operations. During an October7 meeting with reporters, Speaker Johnson said he supported back pay for government workers. A draft memo from the Office of Management and Budget reported by
Axios floated the idea of not back paying workers after the shutdown ended. About two weeks into the shutdown,
Business Insider reported that many federal workers and members of the military were dipping into savings and concerned about covering basic needs and medical costs. Civilian Department of Defense employees grew frustrated about pay status and treatment compared to military members by early November 2025, as nearly half of Pentagon civilian employees were veterans as of 2021. Some veteran civilian employees indicated that they felt disrespected and were looking to leave federal work after years or decades at the Defense Department. Others noted concerns with US national security as personal debt and financial concerns are key questions in the security-clearance process. By late October and early November it was reported that many federal workers had resorted to taking out bank loans to cover costs while either furloughed or working without pay. One spouse of a Department of Defense worker told reporters that they had taken out a no-interest loan of less than $5,000 from
United Services Automobile Association (USAA), a small part of the apparently almost $365 million the organization had issued to over 119,000 federal employees since the shutdown. In a similar program, the
Navy Federal Credit Union began to issue Paycheck Assistance Program loans, which are also zero-interest, while the Redwood Credit Union also began issuing zero-interest loans.
Use of food banks and assistance programs Federal workers were offered free meals through the
World Central Kitchen at pop-up locations, while others such as the
Archdiocese of Baltimore and the
Capital Area Food Bank offered free food and meals. In and around the capitol and Maryland utility providers such as
Washington Gas, WSSC Water, and
Pepco offered assistance to workers who had been impacted. The Capitol Area Food Bank and 400 food pantries and aid organizations in the capital, northern Virginia, and two Maryland counties reported that they were providing 8 million more meals than previously budgeted by November 8. The
food bank reported that it was an almost a 20% increase in use for the budget year.
On elected officials Adelita Grijalva was elected to represent
Arizona's 7th congressional district in a special election on September 23, after the death of the previous representative,
Raúl Grijalva, her father. She was not sworn in until the shutdown ended. Speaker
Mike Johnson said it was "standard practice" to "schedule a swearing in for the Representative-elect when the House returns to session." But Johnson, who canceled over a dozen scheduled legislative sessions since Grijalva's election, has sworn in other lawmakers out of session, including two Republican special election winners,
Jimmy Patronis and
Randy Fine. Representatives of both parties alleged that Johnson was trying to avoid a vote to compel the release of files from the Justice Department's investigation into convicted sex offender
Jeffrey Epstein. Grijalva was sworn in on November 12 after the House reconvened to vote on the Senate-passed spending bill. Media sources have named the shutdown as a factor in several concurrent Democratic electoral victories, including the
2025 Virginia gubernatorial election, the
2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election, the
2025 New York City mayoral election, and state legislative elections in
Pennsylvania,
Mississippi,
Virginia, and
Georgia. Trump said the shutdown was killing the Republican Party and called on his supporters to eliminate the filibuster and reopen the government.
On military Military personnel were still on active duty but did not receive orders from their commanders except in emergencies.
Veterans' benefits and
military operations were also funded, but not military and civilian workers. On October11, Trump directed Secretary of Defense
Pete Hegseth to pay service members using funds previously earmarked for other projects. A Department of Defense official later said that $8 billion of unobligated research and development funds would be used to pay military personnel. The Director of Budget and Entitlement Policy at the
Cato Institute raised concerns about the directive's broad reach and legality. On October24, the Pentagon announced it would accept a private $130 million donation to help pay military personnel. The
Fort Leavenworth Installation Warrior Restaurant closed due to the shutdown. Per a notice from base officials, the restaurant is the only dining facility or DFAC on the base where most junior enlisted soldiers can eat if they cannot leave the base.
Use of food banks A little over a week into the shutdown,
Time reported an increase in military members and families relying on
food pantries, as service members' spouses are usually either unemployed due to frequent relocation or also employed by the federal government. A military-based food pantry in Kansas saw a 300% increase in traffic, while the Armed Service YMCA, a military nonprofit, saw a 30% increase in food requests across all locations and a 34% increase at its location in
Killeen, Texas. In early November 2025, directives posted to the
U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria website were swiftly taken down after being reported on. The directives stated that the team would continue to provide services for those working and living in the community while also providing a running list of German support organizations such as
Essen für Alle (Food for All), Foodsharin e.V., Tafel Deutschland and
Too Good To Go. A food bank near
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio reported that their numbers were up with an average of 250 families a week in September 2025, with an anticipated 500 families a week in early November 2025.
On Native Americans The federal shutdown had varied effects on
Native Americans and tribal nations. Those with casinos, oil and gas leases, or other forms of independent revenue reported that they believed they could operate for several months, while others more dependent on government funding and assistance were more concerned. Others raised concerns that the Trump administration would act on earlier calls by Trump and
Elon Musk for the
General Services Administration to terminate leases held by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs and other offices or terminate employees. Shortly after the shutdown was announced, the
Navajo Nation announced that it would continue to offer essential services to members. During an October29 meeting of the
Senate Indian Affairs Committee, tribal representatives reported the difficulties of covering the costs of necessities such as heating, food, and education.
National Indian Education Association president Kerry Bird said most of her staff had been furloughed and spoke of her concerns about the freeze on Education Department grants. After SNAP benefits were frozen and then halved by the Trump administration, many native families were impacted, as 23% of all American Indian and Alaska Native households used the benefits in 2023. The
Cherokee Nation and the
Choctaw Nation launched stopgap programs to cover the lack of benefits. The
Fort Peck Indian Reservation,
Blackfeet Nation,
Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and others authorized limited
hunting of
bison that had been part of
restoration efforts to provide food for those who lost SNAP benefits. The
Mi'kmaq Nation added
trout and locally hunted
elk to its food banks and the
Comanche Nation's food banks began accepting deer meat. The
Office of the Trade Representative remained open. Ahead of the shutdown, the
United States dollar and
Treasury securities fell. Concern was voiced about the shutdown and its effects on the
Federal Reserve's October29 decision about the next interest rate, as key reports were not being generated. Additional concern was raised about the potential reduction of the annualized real gross domestic product growth for the fourth quarter, as it was projected at 0.1%, though much of that could be recouped, as has happened after previous shutdowns. On October 6,
National Economic Council Director
Kevin Hassett told reporters that each week of the shutdown could cost the U.S. economy about $15 billion. The
Congressional Budget Office estimated that the US economy permanently lost about $11 billion from the shutdown. The shutdown's effects were prominent in Washington, where unemployment was over the national average of 4.3% in a September 2025 report from the Office of Revenue Analysis and the highest in the US for months. About 20% of all federal workers are employed in Washington, with about 150,000 residing in the area. Local businesses reported a revenue decline of about 50% compared to before the shutdown. On October 11, it was reported that the Department of Education had dismissed nearly everyone in the
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in a wave of mass layoffs during the shutdown. The shutdown confused college students and their families, who were unsure if they could complete the
FAFSA and receive federal aid. Federal aid and the FAFSA are not affected by the shutdown and many colleges and universities issued statements to that effect. Some higher education institutions and research associations issued guidance about the shutdown's impact. The
National Institutes of Health said that while many researchers can still draw from its funds, there are some restrictive terms and conditions. Some universities paused tuition payments for students affected by the shutdown, such as the more than 75,000college and trade school students who are dependents and survivors of former military members. The government shutdown affected the
Head Start program, an early education program that serves children under six. The Department of Health and Human Services said that more than 58,600children in 134Head Start centers in 41states and Puerto Rico would not receive grants on November1 if the shutdown continued. The program's funding had already been affected, as the Trump administration mistakenly froze grants in January 2025.
Food governor
Wes Moore visiting a food pantry during the shutdown Food and Drug Administration commissioner
Marty Makary told employees that the agency was exempt from shutdown cuts. As of early November, the
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program was distributing benefits normally, as a $450 million funding source had been found. Before the shutdown began, WIC funding had been expected to run out after two weeks, but a week into the shutdown, the USDA distributed money from the 2024 fiscal year to cover some access in some states. Payments from the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) were delayed and halved. and on October27, the USDA announced that no benefits would be issued on November1, also blaming the shutdown on the Democratic Party. On November3, after lawsuits against the administration, the USDA said it would send SNAP recipients half the funds it would have otherwise sent them for November. According to the
Center on Budgets and Policy Priorities, the
USDA has about $5 billion in SNAP
contingency funding, or about 60% of a month in benefits. More than 41million people participate in the program. Most recipients in 2023 were aged 18 to 59; children were about 39%. The average monthly assistance per person in 2025 was $190.59, with a household averaging $356.41. recipients by county The decision left the program's funding uncertain for approximately 43 million Americans who receive SNAP benefits. Several states, including California and New York, announced temporary funding measures to maintain payments during the shutdown. Virginia Governor
Glenn Youngkin announced the Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance (VENA) initiative to offset the loss of federal funding for SNAP. Maryland Governor
Wes Moore announced the release of $62 million in funding to offset the loss of November federal funding for SNAP. After many states began issuing SNAP benefits in late October, the USDA issued a memo ordering the states to stop issuing "unauthorized" SNAP benefits while they challenged the decision. The
National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which provides low-cost or free school lunches to children, provided more than 4.8billion lunches in 2024. but Diane Pratt-Heavner of the School Nutrition Association said that some state agencies have reported that they lack the funds to reimburse schools for providing the lunches. The USDA reportedly released funding for the program in October 2025, but in early October some states reported that they had yet to receive the funds.
Food banks During the shutdown,
food bank nonprofit organizations in Washington, D.C., and nationwide, such as Stronghold Food Pantry,
Feeding America, and
Capital Area Food Bank, reported extended queues at food banks in the D.C. area, Virginia, and Maryland, where many federal workers live. After many states announced that SNAP and WIC benefits would not be issued for November, many food banks began to prepare for an influx of people set to lose the benefits. Food bank drives and personal donations increased, including at
Alpha Kappa Alpha and
Boy Scout meetings. College and university students increasingly relied on food banks. More than 1.1 million college students are on SNAP. Many students reported concerns about being able to stay in school or properly cover costs due to lack of SNAP benefits and rising grocery and cost-of-living costs.
Resulting lawsuits On October28, over two dozen states sued the Trump administration in
Massachusetts v. USDA after the USDA announced that no SNAP benefits would be disbursed to recipients on November1. The states requested that the presiding judge force the administration to maintain the benefits. On October31, it was reported that Rhode Island federal judge
John J. McConnell Jr. had ruled in
Rhode Island State Council of Churches v. Rollins that the USDA must distribute SNAP benefits to recipients as soon as possible. McConnell referenced the billion in contingency funds. On October31, Trump posted, "If we are given the appropriate legal direction by the Court, it will BE MY HONOR to provide the funding, just like I did with Military and Law Enforcement Pay." In the post he also blamed the Democratic Party for the shutdown. On CNN's
State of the Union, Treasury Secretary
Scott Bessent said the administration would follow the ruling and suggested that the benefits could restart by November5.
Health care and insurance The shutdown did not affect
Medicare and
Medicaid, though certain services, such as Medicare card procurement, may shut down. The
Department of Health and Human Services, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services intend to furlough much of their staff, with some retention at the FDA;
Judiciary and law enforcement Supreme Court public information officer Patricia McCabe told reporters that the Court expected to run out of funding by October18. McCabe indicated that the Supreme Court would be closed to the public but would continue to conduct official business such as hearing oral arguments, issuing orders, and other ventures. The
Administrative Office of the US Courts gave a similar timeline for federal courts, with funding expected to dry up by October20. Several federal district courts announced that they would begin operating on modified schedules, such as limiting employees who work specific days or closing entirely for others, to handle the changes to their budgets. On the first day of the shutdown, the Trump administration froze about $26 billion in funding for transit and green-energy projects in Democratic-leaning states.
NASA According to a September29 shutdown plan released by
NASA, 15,094NASA civil servants have been
furloughed, while 3,124 have been classified as exempted and continue working. The exempted workers include those needed for the operations of the
International Space Station, those operating active satellite missions, and those working on the
Artemis program. The shutdown will not affect preparations for the
Artemis II crewed mission around the
Moon, which launched in April 2026. File:US Government Shutdown (NASA SVS) Screenshot 2025-10-02 195055.png|Service message from NASA's
Scientific Visualization Studio File:NASA FIRMS 2025-10-03 funding lapse.png|Service message from NASA's
Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS)
National parks and capital museums According to a September30 contingency plan by the
Department of Interior, all national parks were to be left partially open during the shutdown, but any buildings that required staffing, such as visitor centers or sites such as the Washington Monument, would be closed to the public, with only restrooms open and trash collected as normal. Park roads, lookouts, trails and open-air memorials were expected to stay open with limited emergency services available to visitors. The plan was similar to the one adopted during the
2018–2019 government shutdown. Some states, such as
West Virginia, used state funding to keep their national parks open during the shutdown. In some areas, guide services saw an influx of business as visitors used the service as a stand-in for park rangers and workers. Private museums also saw a boost in visitors because national parks and museums were closed, with the
Mount Vernon estate reporting a 50% increase in visitors during the first two weeks of October. The lack of visitors and paid entry into many national parks reportedly caused the loss of almost $25 million in revenue as of October 25. This figure is based on analysis by the
National Parks Conservation Association, which reported that the
National Park Service lost about $1 million a day. Conservationists, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the
National Park Service all issued warnings to the public to use caution or not to visit national parks during the shutdown due to concern about skeleton staffing making it difficult to assist in an emergency. Additional concern was raised about the mass layoffs shortly after Trump took office, which made many parks already short-staffed before the shutdown. Locals, furloughed workers, and local organizations worked together during the shutdown to keep national parks clean and well-kept. Shortly into the shutdown multiple pictures and videos were posted of visitors to
Yosemite National Park participating in illegal behavior such as
BASE jumping from
El Capitan and climbing the
Half Dome cables without permits. Alleged squatters did not leave the park's campgrounds due to the lack of park rangers. There was a 70-acre wildfire near an unstaffed camping ground in
Joshua Tree National Park and a historic stone wall fell over in
Gettysburg National Military Park.
Technology Suspension of non-essential functions of the
Federal Communications Commission caused product delays for devices that emit
radio frequencies, affecting the release of new cameras, speakers, and controllers.
Travel The
Transportation Security Administration,
Amtrak,
ships, and
cruises continued to function despite the shutdown. 95% of TSA employees were required to work during the shutdown. Since October 1, air traffic controllers had been performing their duties without compensation, in addition to fulfilling mandatory overtime requirements. Since the shutdown many air traffic controllers had begun working odd jobs,
gig work such as
Uber and
Doordash and other jobs in an attempt to cover expenses. Beginning on October6, staffing shortages led to flight delays at various airports. On October7, it was reported that cities such as
Nashville,
Dallas,
Chicago, and
Newark were seeing high levels of delays due to the air traffic controller shortage. The
Hollywood Burbank Airport control tower was unstaffed for nearly six hours and then remotely managed due to shortages. By October8, airport staffing shortages led to delays reported at
Boston, Burbank, Chicago,
Denver,
Houston,
Las Vegas, Nashville, Newark,
Orlando,
Philadelphia,
Phoenix, and
Washington. On November4, Transportation Secretary
Sean Duffy said that the DOT and the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would begin to reduce flights at dozens of major airports and close sections of airspace due to staffing shortages beginning November7. On November5, Duffy announced that 40 airports, included in the "Core30" high traffic airports, would cut airspace capacity by 10% starting November7. Before his announcement, staffing shortages over the weekend of November 1–2 had led to major delays and concern about potential widespread travel chaos. During the week of November 3–7,
NPR reporters spoke with some air traffic controllers who said morale was low even before the shutdown, with resentment at mandatory overtime and stagnating wages due to longstanding staffing issues. During the shutdown tens of thousands of flights were canceled nationwide after the FAA's flight reduction orders. On November 10, the FAA announced that they would prohibit "business aviation" or the use of private airplanes at about a dozen airports, on top of the previously implemented flight restrictions. While speaking with reporters on November 9, Transportation Secretary Duffy stated that Secretary of Defense
Pete Hegseth had offered air traffic controllers from the military reserves in order to help combat the shortage. Duffy explained his hesitancy as the offered air traffic controllers would have to be vetted to see what airspace they had previously worked in. A few days before the end of the government shutdown Trump argued while speaking with Fox News that air traffic controllers who took on second jobs and did not show up for work were to be docked pay, while those that came into work would be recommended for a $10,000 bonus. Trump did not elaborate where he would find the funds to make the payments but stated he wanted to reward those who showed up without complaining. Ridership on the
Washington Metro fell by 5% compared to the previous month, with the
Federal Center SW,
Capitol South, and
Medical Center stations experiencing the largest drops, of 33.7%, 37.4%, and 32.1% respectively. Ridership on
Capital Bikeshare fell by 13.9% compared to October 2024. == Mass layoffs ==