Time remaining until the fiscal year deadline.
2+ million federal workers face furloughs or unpaid work. Essential personnel (military, air traffic control, law enforcement) continue working without pay until funding resumes.
National parks close, food safety inspections pause, passport processing stops, and research programs halt. Social Security and Medicare payments continue but customer service may be limited.
Government contractors lose revenue, local businesses near federal facilities suffer, and economic data releases are delayed. The 2018-19 shutdown cost the economy an estimated $11 billion.
Delayed tax refunds, suspended home loans (FHA, VA), closed visitor centers, and limited customer service for federal programs. Small businesses may face delays in SBA loan processing. Government-assisted insurance policies may stop processing new applications during extended shutdowns.
October 1st marks the beginning of the federal fiscal year. If Congress does not pass appropriations bills or a continuing resolution by this date, agencies without funding authority must cease non-essential operations. This affects roughly 25% of government operations that require annual appropriations.
GDP (Gross Domestic Product) represents the total value of all goods and services produced within the United States economy, essentially functioning as the nation's economic scorecard. During a government shutdown, this economic activity experiences significant disruption through a cascading series of events.
Initially, federal employees face furloughs or work without pay, which immediately reduces their discretionary spending on everything from dining out to retail purchases. Simultaneously, government contractors experience payment delays, forcing them to conserve cash flow and reduce their own operational expenses. This creates a multiplier effect throughout the broader economy that affects local businesses that may reduce their spending due to a lack of demand for product.
The 2018-19 shutdown ultimately cost the U.S. economy an estimated $11 billion in lost economic output—equivalent to the complete annual economic production of a metropolitan area like Chattanooga, Tennessee, simply disappearing from the national economy during the shutdown period.