Did the government shut down last night? Here’s what to know
- - Did the government shut down last night? Here’s what to know
Melina Khan, USA TODAY October 1, 2025 at 4:12 AM
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Parts of the federal government have effectively stopped operating after congressional leaders failed to strike a deal before the Oct. 1 shutdown deadline.
Despite negotiation efforts, lawmakers could not come to an agreement on funding legislation before midnight on Oct. 1.
As a result, a partial government shutdown began, as of midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 1, the first day of the U.S. government's 2026 fiscal year. The shutdown will continue until appropriations are passed in Congress.
In turn, a wide range of federal services will be impacted and thousands of government workers are set to be furloughed. Certain agencies, like the U.S. Postal Service, air traffic control and Social Security, are considered essential and will run as usual.
Here's what to know.
millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
" style=padding-bottom:56%>Government shutdowns impact millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XTD8nRc8ZCCPZMYUeBigqw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c7cae9447f942779eaf13ac57fbc12fd class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Government shutdowns impact millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
">Government shutdowns impact millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/XTD8nRc8ZCCPZMYUeBigqw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjc-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c7cae9447f942779eaf13ac57fbc12fd class=caas-img>
Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) talking to the media following the Senate rejecting a pair of dueling bills to fund the federal government and end the longest partial government shutdown in history.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Zk.BVb.C_vpLTGojQxPRBQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/55a3de5296be8504977a0657e680f531 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) talking to the media following the Senate rejecting a pair of dueling bills to fund the federal government and end the longest partial government shutdown in history.
">Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) talking to the media following the Senate rejecting a pair of dueling bills to fund the federal government and end the longest partial government shutdown in history.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Zk.BVb.C_vpLTGojQxPRBQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/55a3de5296be8504977a0657e680f531 class=caas-img>
Passengers wait in a Transportation Security Administration line at JFK airport on Jan. 9, 2019 in New York City. Hundreds of TSA screeners and agents reportedly called in sick from their shifts from a number of major airports as the partial government shutdown continues. Employees of the TSA, whose job it is to keep airlines safe, are being forced to work without knowing when their next paycheck is coming.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/N8JT_UW6VSNSwUQf._Tq8w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/a103971b4026822cb0c4030dbc2795c5 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Passengers wait in a Transportation Security Administration line at JFK airport on Jan. 9, 2019 in New York City. Hundreds of TSA screeners and agents reportedly called in sick from their shifts from a number of major airports as the partial government shutdown continues. Employees of the TSA, whose job it is to keep airlines safe, are being forced to work without knowing when their next paycheck is coming.
">Passengers wait in a Transportation Security Administration line at JFK airport on Jan. 9, 2019 in New York City. Hundreds of TSA screeners and agents reportedly called in sick from their shifts from a number of major airports as the partial government shutdown continues. Employees of the TSA, whose job it is to keep airlines safe, are being forced to work without knowing when their next paycheck is coming.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/N8JT_UW6VSNSwUQf._Tq8w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/a103971b4026822cb0c4030dbc2795c5 class=caas-img>
Celebrity Chef Jose Andres (R) helps carry free meals for U.S. Park Police outside his World Central Kitchen January 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Founded by Andres, World Central Kitchen is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. The pop-up kitchen has been providing meals to workers affected by the partial federal government shutdown since January 16 and started giving away groceries and providing other services this week.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/w2UDxll.XW2WVsao1duHeQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMDE4/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/0b8cfc1458bb004771266641638b2d7a class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Celebrity Chef Jose Andres (R) helps carry free meals for U.S. Park Police outside his World Central Kitchen January 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Founded by Andres, World Central Kitchen is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. The pop-up kitchen has been providing meals to workers affected by the partial federal government shutdown since January 16 and started giving away groceries and providing other services this week.
">Celebrity Chef Jose Andres (R) helps carry free meals for U.S. Park Police outside his World Central Kitchen January 22, 2019 in Washington, DC. Founded by Andres, World Central Kitchen is a not-for-profit non-governmental organization devoted to providing meals in the wake of natural disasters. The pop-up kitchen has been providing meals to workers affected by the partial federal government shutdown since January 16 and started giving away groceries and providing other services this week.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/w2UDxll.XW2WVsao1duHeQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD0xMDE4/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/0b8cfc1458bb004771266641638b2d7a class=caas-img>Furloughed contract workers, including security officers and custodians who have not been paid during the partial government shutdown, hold unpaid bills to present to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 16, 2019. - Furloughed contract workers have not received back pay from previous government shutdowns, unlikely employees who work directly for the federal government. Four weeks into the US government shutdown, cash-strapped federal workers are tapping life-savings, selling possessions and turning to soup kitchens to make ends meet -- ramping up pressure for leaders in Washington to strike a deal.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/B6epib.CaI.aJOECrwAuvQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MDE-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/27b894022baabc122eb08452b7389f87 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Furloughed contract workers, including security officers and custodians who have not been paid during the partial government shutdown, hold unpaid bills to present to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 16, 2019. - Furloughed contract workers have not received back pay from previous government shutdowns, unlikely employees who work directly for the federal government. Four weeks into the US government shutdown, cash-strapped federal workers are tapping life-savings, selling possessions and turning to soup kitchens to make ends meet -- ramping up pressure for leaders in Washington to strike a deal.
">Furloughed contract workers, including security officers and custodians who have not been paid during the partial government shutdown, hold unpaid bills to present to the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, January 16, 2019. - Furloughed contract workers have not received back pay from previous government shutdowns, unlikely employees who work directly for the federal government. Four weeks into the US government shutdown, cash-strapped federal workers are tapping life-savings, selling possessions and turning to soup kitchens to make ends meet -- ramping up pressure for leaders in Washington to strike a deal.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/B6epib.CaI.aJOECrwAuvQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MDE-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/27b894022baabc122eb08452b7389f87 class=caas-img>TSA agent Anthony Morselli of Georgia, VT, shows his GoFundMe post on Facebook before starting his shift at Burlington International Airport on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Morselli and his wife, both TSA agents, didn't get paid along with approximately 800,000 other federal workers and, to try to make ends meet, started the GoFundMe site to try to pay the bills as the government shutdown entered it's 21st day.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/xFNvEAjqZKAbdJvC645MBA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MzM-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b47c34cf6400ad8bce98a34b6645d3ac class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
TSA agent Anthony Morselli of Georgia, VT, shows his GoFundMe post on Facebook before starting his shift at Burlington International Airport on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Morselli and his wife, both TSA agents, didn't get paid along with approximately 800,000 other federal workers and, to try to make ends meet, started the GoFundMe site to try to pay the bills as the government shutdown entered it's 21st day.
">TSA agent Anthony Morselli of Georgia, VT, shows his GoFundMe post on Facebook before starting his shift at Burlington International Airport on Friday, Jan. 11, 2019. Morselli and his wife, both TSA agents, didn't get paid along with approximately 800,000 other federal workers and, to try to make ends meet, started the GoFundMe site to try to pay the bills as the government shutdown entered it's 21st day.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/xFNvEAjqZKAbdJvC645MBA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04MzM-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b47c34cf6400ad8bce98a34b6645d3ac class=caas-img>David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ZI3xVdwNMz8HFAi8gTiI1g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c1bb9027c6985de2160430c0d9356ef0 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
">David Fitzpatrick, 64, a Park Ranger, holds an American flag and a placard stating "You're fired" with "Smokey the Bear," after a protest rally with furloughed federal workers and area elected officials in front of Independence Hall on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/ZI3xVdwNMz8HFAi8gTiI1g--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/c1bb9027c6985de2160430c0d9356ef0 class=caas-img>
Tourists photograph the Liberty Bell, unable to go inside due to a lapse in federal appropriations on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
" data-src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/5bQrU8uOxaR94ffCUz.WUg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b674c73b6240a73fbba45b2f2b465848 class=caas-img data-headline="White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown" data-caption="
Tourists photograph the Liberty Bell, unable to go inside due to a lapse in federal appropriations on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
">Tourists photograph the Liberty Bell, unable to go inside due to a lapse in federal appropriations on January 8, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
" src=https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/5bQrU8uOxaR94ffCUz.WUg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD04Mjg-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_slideshows_242/b674c73b6240a73fbba45b2f2b465848 class=caas-img>
1 / 29White House Big Macs, trash-littered streets: See the longest government shutdown
Government shutdowns impact millions of Americans. Beyond the walls of Congress and the White House, a shutdown would ripple through various government-run programs, such as federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections and more. See the most memorable images from the longest federal government shutdown — which lasted 35 days spanning from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019 — beginning here with an image that went viral of President Donald Trump alongside fast food he purchased for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Champion Clemson Tigers during their visit to the White House. Trump said the White House chefs are furloughed due to the shutdown.
Did the government shut down last night?
Yes, the government has partially shut down.
Congress failed to agree on funding appropriations for the new fiscal year before the Sept. 30 at 11:59 p.m. deadline. As a result, some government agencies effectively closed beginning Oct. 1 at midnight.
What's open, closed in a government shutdown?
A view of the U.S. Capitol building a day before a partial government shutdown is scheduled to take place, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 30, 2025.
Certain federal agencies and workers are deemed essential and therefore are not impacted by a government shutdown.
Essential services include the U.S. Postal Service, Social Security, Medicare and air traffic control.
The biggest impacts of the shutdown will be felt by government employees who work under nonessential services, such as national parks.
These workers are typically furloughed during the shutdown and receive backpay once they can return to work. However, the Office of Management and Budget asked federal agencies on Sept. 24 to draft plans for permanent layoffs.
See full list: What's open or closed in a federal government shutdown?
How long will government shutdown last?
Since 1977, there have been 21 federal government shutdowns that lasted a total of 121 days. That's an average of almost eight days per shutdown.
However, among them, the shortest lasted for just a few hours and the longest 35 days. Both were under President Donald Trump's first administration: the hours long shutdown took place in February 2018 and the longest shutdown was from December 2018 to January 2019.
Timeline: See US government shutdowns over last 50 years
What is a government shutdown?
Each fiscal year, Congress allocates funding for federal agencies to operate.
However, if lawmakers do not agree on appropriations or a temporary spending bill, some federal agencies must effectively shut down or stop normal spending, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
Some jobs or services are deemed essential and continue to operate in the event of a shutdown.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did the government shut down last night? Here’s what to know
Source: “AOL Politics”
