The United States government officially shut down at midnight on Oct. 1.
Here is what you need to know about the government shutdown and how it could impact your daily routine, both on a national and state level.
What is a government shutdown?
A government shutdown is when all federal agencies and services officials not deemed essential have to cease working.
How does the government shutdown affect me?
Nonessential work being halted leads federal workers being furloughed, a potential delay in government food assistance benefits, a possible pause on some food safety inspections, and other government benefits used by Americans being impacted.
The Congressional Budget Office said about 750,000 employees will be furloughed each day. Other “essential jobs,” like air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration agents, federal law enforcement officers and members of the military will be forced to work without pay. Members of Congress will continue to be paid.
Essential services in the United States, like the U.S. Postal Service, Medicare and Social Security, will continue operating during a government shutdown.
For those that are furloughed or working unpaid, federal law states they are all scheduled to receive back pay once the government reopens. Compensation for furloughed workers will cost taxpayers $400 million, according to the CBO.
Which Delaware agencies are affected by the government shutdown?
A government shutdown could affect all agencies.
The longer a federal shutdown lasts, the worse off state agencies and government programs could be, as funding reserves may become sparse as time stretches on.
What local leaders say: How a government shutdown in D.C. affects Delaware
Will Delaware post offices be impacted by the government shutdown?
The U.S. Postal Service will continue to operate, as it is an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of its products and services, not by tax dollars, the agency said on Sept. 25.
Will Delaware courts be impacted by the government shutdown?
During a government shutdown, local, state and federal courts are all open.
The U.S. Courts announced on Oct. 1 that “the Judiciary remains open and will continue paid operations through at least Oct. 3 by using court fee balance and other funds not dependent on new appropriation.”
Most deadlines and proceedings will occur as scheduled. In cases where an attorney from an executive branch agency is not working due to the shutdown, hearing and filing dates can be rescheduled. The Case Management/Electronic Case Files system will remain operational.
The judiciary is assessing available fees and balances to determine if paid operations can be sustained through Oct. 17. If the shutdown continues beyond then, the courts will operate under the terms of the Anti-Deficiency Act, which allows work to continue during a lapse in appropriations. Each court and federal defender’s office would determine the staffing resources necessary to support such work.
Will Delaware banks be impacted by the government shutdown?
Private commercial banks are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and will remain unaffected during the shutdown. Other financial institutions like credit unions will also remain open.
Will the government shutdown impact travel?
While air travel and cruises would continue, funding to agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration, Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection would be on hold.
The agents travelers interact with at airports and seaports, and the controllers who oversee flights, are considered essential workers who will continue working, but will have to do so without pay.
Longer wait times and flight delays may arise.
Will Social Security be impacted by the government shutdown?
Social Security checks will continue to be sent to recipients, but some services that are not directly related to Social Security payment benefits and direct-service operations, such as verification of benefits, corrections and updates to earnings records, Freedom of Information Act requests, card replacements and trainings, will be temporarily suspended.
Employees in the Social Security Administration are likely to be furloughed during the shutdown, though, so government food assistance benefits could be delayed.
According to the administration’s 2025 fiscal year contingency plan, about 6,197 of their nearly 52,000 employees are expected to be furloughed.
Will Medicare be impacted by the government shutdown?
Medicare, like Social Security and other major programs and benefits, is generally unaffected by government shutdowns due to Congress approving these programs to spend without an expiration date, known as mandatory spending, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
Although benefits will continue, there could be a delay in some payments, especially for new applicants.
The Delaware Healthcare Association noted that while individuals on Medicare and Medicaid are not expected to be at immediate risk, some programs such as telehealth waivers, the hospital-at-home program waiver and authorization for other important health extenders that will expire and may cause care disruptions.
How will the government shutdown impact state employees in Delaware?
A shutdown could impact state employees whose employers depend on federal funds to operate and must shut down certain activities deemed non-necessary by the government, according to USA Today.
If this happens, some state employees could be furloughed until a shutdown passes. State employees who receive salaries from private employers who don’t rely on federal funds wouldn’t necessarily be impacted.
Federal retirees will still receive payments if a federal shutdown occurs.
How will the government shutdown impact food programs in Delaware?
Food programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will continue throughout the month of October, according to the Food Research & Action Center, but a shutdown beyond then could put SNAP funding at risk.
Another at-risk program is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). States have yet to receive any funding for fiscal year 2026, making the issuance of WIC benefits more challenging. WIC has “some ability” to draw on funding to ensure consistent service, including a contingency fund and the ability of states to keep and use a percentage of the previous year’s funding, according to FRAC.
Those receiving benefits would quickly deplete them, with the only reprieve being possibly assistance from states with extra funding to push off the impacts of the shutdown for a week or two.
Will the government shutdown impact road projects in Delaware?
The Delaware Department of Transportation said that its project would “generally continue without interruption” during a federal government shutdown.
How previous government shutdowns impacted Delaware
Scott Goss, a former spokesperson for the Delaware State Senate, told Delaware Online/The News Journal in 2023 – when the threat of a shutdown loomed – that the impacts of a government shutdown primarily depend on how long the shutdown lasts, and each shutdown
During the last federal shutdown from December 2018 to January 2019, there were nearly 3,000 civilian federal workers based in Delaware, many at Dover Air Force Base, who were deemed non-essential and furloughed.
The General Assembly was in session during that time and was able to pass legislation that temporarily suspended judicial and administrative proceedings and transactions related to rent, mortgages, taxes, fines, insurance premiums and more for those workers because they were not getting paid, according to Goss.
Another bill to authorize the Delaware Office of Management and Budget to partner with financial institutions to create a temporary loan program capable of providing those workers with up to $80,000 under certain conditions was proposed, but ultimately failed when every Senate Republican voted no.
The previous government shutdown still saw Medicaid and Medicare health benefits being doled out, Social Security checks were sent and federal courts remained in session
Goss noted that while we have yet to reach a level of stalemate during a government shutdown that leads to an extreme pause on federally funded operations, there are number of impacts that could be felt in communities if a weeks-long shutdown were to happen. This includes:
Active-duty service members and National Guard members missing paychecks.
Community centers, after-school programs, tutoring, adult education courses and their provided employment training depleting funding.
More impacts: How a government shutdown in D.C. affects Delaware
State agencies eventually seeing their federal funding drying up, which includes a halt on processing federal permits, a lack of technical support for federal programs and, eventually, stopgap state funding for programs paid for with federal funds.
During the 16-day government shutdown in October 2013, the impacts were as follows:
Some federal programs that assist low-income families, such as SNAP and WIC, stopped providing new vouchers.
Civilian workers at Dover Air Force Base and the Delaware National Guard had to stay home and went unpaid for about two weeks.
The Veterans Benefits Administration closed and directed veterans to file claims online or by mail.
Bombay Hook and Prime Hook national wildlife refuges closed.
During the last shutdown, nearly a million Americans were furloughed or went without pay. Along with those impacts, processing times at the Internal Revenue Service slowed down, some federal support for Indigenous tribes halted, and military families had less access to critical family support programs, according to USA Today.
Reporter Shane Brennan contributed to this report.