Congress and the President failed to reach agreement on a government spending bill before the deadline of December 21, 2018. As a result, number of U.S. government agencies have halted work and will remain shut down until a deal is reached. In contrast to some earlier budget standoffs, though, this time approximately ¾ of the U.S. government already had its program funding in place and so will not be affected by the shutdown.
While some government operations will be suspended until the President and Congress agree on a spending bill, many of the functions that most directly touch people’s lives will continue. Here’s a partial list of some of the functions that may be of interest:
|
Functions Not Affected |
Functions Affected |
| Social Security checks continue to be issued and applications may be submitted as usual, though processing of new applications may slow | IRS verification of income and Social Security numbers would be suspended, potentially delaying processing of mortgage and loan applications |
| Federally funded health centers remain open | EPA and FDA inspections (hazardous sites, drinking water, food products) halted |
| Medicare program continues | National parks may remain open but visitors’ centers, etc., will be thinly staffed |
| NIH continues patient care for current patients | State Department issuance of passports/visas could be curtailed |
| ACA premium tax credits continue | |
| U.S. Post Office and other agencies with independent funding remain open | |
| Food stamps should continue to be available |
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