2025 Government Shutdown FAQs

The federal government has unfortunately shut down as of 12:01 AM ET on October 1st.

A government shutdown can have wide-ranging impacts on our communities. As your Congresswoman, I want to ensure you and your family have the resources and information you need to navigate this uncertain moment.

While many federal operations may pause, my San Jose, Salinas, and Washington, D.C. offices will remain open and ready to assist you. If you need help with time-sensitive issues such as Social Security, Medicare, the IRS, veterans' benefits, immigration, or passports, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I also encourage you to share how the shutdown is affecting you or your family.

Below, you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about a potential government shutdown and what it could mean for you. Please note that this FAQ is based on information from prior shutdowns and currently available information from agencies. The Trump administration has not been fully transparent with its shutdown plans and Trump himself has made threats to manipulate a shutdown for political gain, change agency operations significantly, and use civil servants as pawns by firing them en masse.

 

Recipients will continue to receive their Social Security and SSI checks. The Social Security Administration(SSA) will continue providing limited services like issuing Social Security cards and holding appointments for benefit applications. However, SSA will stop some activities like benefit verifications and processing overpayments and the public will likely experience increased wait times for customer service.

 

Medicare and Medicaid payments will continue as normal. However, routine interactions with the agencies may take longer if staffing levels are reduced.

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs will continue to provide health care services, and benefits will still be processed and delivered. This includes compensation, pension, education, housing, suicide prevention programs, homelessness services, caregiver support, and primary call center operations.

 

SNAP benefits are considered mandatory spending by the federal government, which means they continue even if the government shuts down. You should expect to keep receiving your benefits during a shutdown. However, if a shutdown exceeds 30 days, there could be potential disruption to the program. At this time of writing, it is unclear how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) would address extended funding needs.

Unfortunately, during a government shutdown, funding for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program will quickly run out, leaving many families and children who rely on this vital support without access to federal assistance.

 

Many TSA and FAA employees are classified as essential workers and will continue typical operations. However, due to staffing shortages caused by furloughs, air travelers should anticipate longer wait times, delays, and possible cancellations. We encourage everyone to exercise patience and kindness with these employees, many of whom are continuing to serve the public without pay.

Visa and passport services are not expected to be directly affected by a government shutdown, as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs are primarily funded through processing fees. However, if a funding shortfall were to occur, these agencies could experience disruptions in operations.

 

My office will remain open and continue processing federal agency casework. Please note that some agencies may be slower to respond due to furloughs and staffing shortages.

 

When the government shuts down, federal agencies are required to classify their employees whose salaries have lapsed as either "excepted" or "not excepted." The employees classified as "excepted" work without pay during the shutdown. The employees classified as "not excepted" are put on unpaid furlough. Under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019,all federal employees are retroactively paid for the duration of the shutdown upon its conclusion. Donald Trump has threatened to needlessly fire thousands of federal workers during a shutdown, as he has been trying to do all year.