Government Shutdowns and Executive Branch Operations: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

If conflict within Congress or between Congress and the President impedes the enactment of annual appropriations acts or an interim continuing resolution before the beginning of the fiscal year (October 1), a temporary funding gap may occur at the beginning of that fiscal year. A funding gap may also occur in the middle of a fiscal year if appropriations are not enacted before a continuing resolution expires. If a funding gap begins and funding does not appear likely to resume during the first calendar day of the gap, the federal government generally begins a “shutdown” of affected activities. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have been organized into 12 subcommittees, with each subcommittee responsible for developing and managing the consideration of one regular appropriations act. It is possible for Congress to enact some of the 12 appropriations acts, and not others, before the beginning of a fiscal year or the expiration of a continuing resolution. This would lead to a partial government shutdown of the activities covered by appropriations acts that were not enacted in time. This CRS report is intended to address frequent questions related to government shutdowns and possible effects of shutdowns on executive agency operations and executive branch employees. The questions generally proceed chronologically through various processes that precede a shutdown, events that may occur during a shutdown, and events that occur in the wake of a shutdown. This report will be updated annually.