When federal government agencies and programs lack budget authority after the expiration of either full-year or interim appropriations, they experience a "funding gap," also known as a lapse in appropriations. In many cases, under the Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. §§1341 et seq.), agencies and programs affected by a funding gap must cease operations—except in certain circumstances when continued activities are authorized by law.
In the past, there have occasionally been funding gaps that led to government shutdowns. The most recent—and longest—government-wide funding gap and shutdown to date started in FY2026 on October 1, 2025, and lasted for a total of 42 full days. Subsequent FY2026 funding lapses and partial federal government shutdowns took place in the first few months of calendar year 2026.
The relevant laws that govern shutdowns have remained relatively constant in recent decades. However, agencies and officials may exercise some discretion in how they interpret the laws, and circumstances that confront agencies and officials may differ over time. Consequently, it is difficult to predict what might happen in the event of a future shutdown. Still, information about past events may offer some insight into possible outcomes and help inform future deliberations.
This CRS report provides an annotated list of historical documents and other resources related to several past government shutdowns. In general, the report focuses on shutdowns broadly, and so it includes resources that address circumstances relating to multiple agencies and programs. Congressional hearings—even when focused on a single agency or programmatic area—will at times take a broader look at shutdown impacts, so this report includes references to selected hearings. When possible, the report provides links to full-text documents.
For frequently asked questions relating to shutdowns, see CRS Report R47693, Government Shutdowns and Executive Branch Operations: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), coordinated by Taylor N. Riccard. For more in-depth discussion of processes related to shutdowns, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass. For more information about funding gaps, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. For information on federal employee furloughs, see CRS In Focus IF11703, Federal Employee Furloughs: Types and Implications, by Taylor N. Riccard.
This report will be updated as additional resources are identified.
When federal government agencies and programs lack budget authority after the expiration of either full-year or interim appropriations, they experience a "funding gap," also known as a lapse in appropriations. In many cases, under the Antideficiency Act (31 U.S.C. §§1341 et seq.), agencies and programs affected by a funding gap must cease operations—except in certain circumstances when continued activities are authorized by law. When there is a funding gap that affects many federal entities, the situation is often referred to as a government shutdown.1
In the past, there have occasionally been funding gaps that led to government shutdowns, one of which in FY1996 lasted 21 full days—from December 16, 1995, to January 6, 1996. A shutdown occurred at the beginning of FY2014 (October 1, 2013) and lasted for a total of 16 full days. Two comparatively brief shutdowns occurred during FY2018—in January and February 2018, respectively. The second-to-longest shutdown occurred in FY2019, beginning at the end of the day on December 21, 2018, lasting 34 full days. The most recent government-wide funding gap began on October 1, 2025, and concluded on November 12, 2025, after lasting 42 full days. A subsequent brief partial funding gap—and a longer funding gap affecting FY2026 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations—also took place in the first few months of calendar year 2026.2
This report provides historical documents and other resources related to past government shutdowns along with brief annotations that describe the contents of the documents. In general, the report focuses on shutdowns broadly, and so it includes resources that address circumstances relating to multiple agencies and programs. The report does not generally include resources that relate to any single specific agency or program. However, congressional hearings—even when focused on a single agency or programmatic area—will at times take a broader look at the impact of shutdowns, so this CRS report includes selected hearings. The report provides links to full-text documents when available. While there is relatively little information and guidance related to shutdowns, and it is difficult to predict what might happen in the event of one, information about past events may help inform future deliberations.
The following annotated resources are meant to guide readers to relevant materials from governmental and selected nongovernmental sources.
The following CRS products include information related to past government shutdowns:
The report discusses the causes, processes, and effects of federal government shutdowns, including potential issues for Congress.
The report describes the legal analysis that would generally apply during a lapse in appropriations regarding which activities may cease or continue.
The report addresses frequently asked questions that relate to operations of executive branch agencies and programs.
The Insight addresses frequently asked questions that relate to operations of the legislative branch.
The report provides a discussion of funding gaps since FY1977 and a more detailed chronology of legislative actions and funding gaps that led to the two shutdowns of FY1996 and the single shutdown of FY2014.
The report looks specifically at how lapses in annual appropriations have affected DHS, using the FY2014, FY2019, and FY2026 lapses in appropriations as case studies. It then goes on to identify some issues raised by how the FY2026 lapse was resolved.
The Legal Sidebar briefly covers potential effects of a shutdown on new and existing contracts.
The In Focus includes brief descriptions of federal employee furlough types and procedures.
The report provides names and contact information for CRS staff who are available to address questions relating to policy, procedural, and legal aspects of funding gaps and government shutdowns.
The Insight discusses the economic effects of shutdowns, including effects on output, employment, and government spending.
The report discusses the effects of the 2025 shutdown on economic output. The report also reviews third-party estimates of the effects of the shutdown on the economy.
The Insight briefly covers the FY2019 shutdown and its effects on economic activity and employment.4
The report discusses the effects of the FY2014 government shutdown on the economy and financial markets. It also reviews third-party estimates of the effects of the shutdown on the economy.
The brief report includes short annotations and links to CRS products related to the October 2013 government shutdown.5
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)6 has published reports and other resources on past and potential future shutdowns. GAO also maintains a website with resources related to "Shutdowns/Lapses in Appropriations" at https://www.gao.gov/legal/appropriations-law/lapses-in-appropriations. In addition to providing links to specific GAO legal decisions on shutdowns, this site also provides brief context on lapses in appropriations and links to selected GAO testimony on shutdowns.
According to this GAO report, as of March 1981, "interruptions in federal agency funding at the beginning of the fiscal year (FY) and operations on continuing resolutions [had] become the norm rather than the exception." For years, many federal agencies continued to operate during funding gaps while "minimizing all nonessential operations and obligations, believing that Congress did not intend that agencies close down" while waiting for the enactment of annual appropriations acts or continuing resolutions (CRs).
During the FY1981 appropriations process, the President requested opinions on the Antideficiency Act from then-U.S. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti.8 In two memoranda issued in 1980 and 1981, the Attorney General stated that the act required agencies to terminate all operations when their current appropriations expired. According to GAO, agencies were uncertain how to respond to the Attorney General's opinion and what activities they would be able to continue if appropriations expired.
The GAO report outlines some of the problems surrounding late appropriations and funding gaps. It also includes Attorney General Civiletti's opinions within Appendices IV and VIII.9
According to GAO, this report was completed "in response to congressional requests," for which "GAO contacted 13 cabinet departments and 12 selected agencies and offices to obtain information about the costs of a 1981 partial shutdown of government offices." It includes cost estimates, background information about the costs, and GAO recommendations to Congress concerning agency operations in the event of a government shutdown.
In 1990, GAO issued a questionnaire to government agencies to measure the effects of a partial shutdown that occurred on Columbus Day weekend. The report also includes estimates on the effects of a hypothetical three-day shutdown during a non-holiday workweek.
GAO was asked to provide available information on the numbers of federal employees who might have been subject to furlough in the event of a second shutdown in 1995. GAO provided numbers that were based on plans provided by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to GAO in October 1995. The numbers included within the document do not represent actual furloughs but rather planned furloughs in advance of the two shutdowns, which occurred later in November and December-January.
GAO reviewed how the 2013 shutdown affected some operations and services at three departments: the Departments of Energy, Health and Human Services, and Transportation. GAO selected these three departments for review based on the value of grants and contracts, the percentage of employees expected to be furloughed, and the potential for longer-term effects.
GAO recommended that OMB instruct agencies to document lessons learned in planning for and implementing a shutdown, as well as for resuming activities following a shutdown should a funding gap longer than five days occur in the future. OMB staff did not state whether they agreed or disagreed with the recommendation.
GAO examined four agencies' contingency plans and operations during the FY2019 shutdown and reported recommendations for future potential shutdowns.
The following committee print includes historical information on a past government shutdown:
The committee print assessed the cost of the November 23, 1981, shutdown of federal offices resulting from a presidential veto of a CR for FY1982. It includes individual federal departments' and agencies' shutdown impact assessments that were collected by GAO (pp. 73-212).10 It also includes cost estimates, an OMB memorandum, and a presidential veto statement.
The following are congressional hearings that include historical information on past shutdowns. Some of these hearings include items for the record such as OMB memoranda.
The hearing took place before the November 1995 shutdown, and it examined potential scenarios if a shutdown were to occur. The hearing includes testimony from Walter Dellinger, Assistant Attorney General, and Alice M. Rivlin, director of OMB. The hearing includes additional materials such as articles, letters from the Federal Reserve System, and a memo11 from Dellinger to Rivlin.
These hearings were held in December 1995 and generally covered the November 1995 shutdown.12 Because the hearings were not published until 1997, some additional information related to the December 1995–January 1996 government shutdown is included.13
The hearing was held to consider legislation14 that would have directed the Department of the Interior to accept donations of assistance from state governments' employee services for operating national parks and wildlife refuges during federal government shutdowns.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and looked at the National Park Service's implementation of the government shutdown.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and focused on the impact of the shutdown on benefits payments and services for veterans.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and focused on the possible and emerging economic and other impacts related to the shutdown.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown and examined the impacts the shutdown was having on small businesses.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown, and it examined interpretations of H.R. 3210, the Pay Our Military Act, which was ultimately enacted as P.L. 113-39.
The hearing was held during the October 2013 shutdown. The hearing examined policy options for ending the shutdown and addressing the debt ceiling, and it also reviewed potential solutions to promote fiscal sustainability and economic growth.
The hearing examined the FY2019 shutdown and agency restrictions.
The hearing examined the FY2019 partial government shutdown and impacts on the Small Business Administration and small business access to capital.
The field hearing examined the impact on federal contractors from the FY2019 partial shutdown.
OMB documents and guidance regarding potential or actual funding gaps and shutdowns may provide insights into current and future practices. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has provided links to previous OMB bulletins and memoranda for reference.17 The website, entitled "Pay and Leave Furlough Guidance: Shutdown Furlough," is available at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/furlough-guidance/#url=Shutdown-Furlough.18
Some of the OMB documents include the following:
OMB also provides agencies with annual instructions in Circular A-11 on how to prepare for and operate during a funding gap:
The circular, published at least annually, articulates "policies" regarding the absence of appropriations. The circular also directs agency heads to develop and maintain shutdown plans according to a schedule specified in the circular. Although the circular's contents may change from year to year, in the past, the circular has usually called for agency heads to use the Civiletti opinions—a 1995 Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel opinion—and the circular to "decide what agency activities are excepted or otherwise legally authorized to continue during a lapse in appropriations."22
In recent years, OMB hosted a website with links to agency shutdown contingency plans arranged by agency. As of the last update of this CRS report, the OMB website no longer provides links to agency contingency plans.23
OMB currently provides access to a "Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations" document that is available on the OMB "Miscellaneous" web page at https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-resources/guidance/miscellaneous/. See Section IV of the document on "Orderly Shutdowns" and Question 20, which refers to the use of agency contingency plans and OMB Circular A-11, Section 124.24
A link to the contingency plan for the Executive Office of the President is also currently available on the OMB "Miscellaneous" site. However, individual agency department and agency contingency plans are posted on individual department and agency websites.25
The hearing entitled Government Shutdown I: What's Essential? (cited earlier in this report) includes some estimates related to the December 1995–January 1996 shutdowns. It includes an OMB letter with information about the effects of the shutdowns and counts of employees who were excepted and not excepted from furlough (see pages 266-270 and 272-274). The hearing is available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-104hhrg23275/pdf/CHRG-104hhrg23275.pdf.
OMB released a report on November 7, 2013, with some estimates on the cost of the October 2013 shutdown. The report includes information on federal employee furloughs, economic effects of the shutdown, and some impact estimates related to select programs.26 The report is available at http://web.archive.org/web/20140701035515/http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/reports/impacts-and-costs-of-october-2013-federal-government-shutdown-report.pdf.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report on January 28, 2019, with some estimates of effects of the December 2018–January 2019 partial government shutdown. The report includes estimates related to the shutdown's effect on discretionary spending, economic activity, and gross domestic product. The report is available at https://www.cbo.gov/publication/54937.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs released a bipartisan historical retrospective report examining the costs and effects of FY2014 and FY2019 shutdowns. See U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, The True Cost of Government Shutdowns, staff report ("majority and minority"), September 17, 2019, https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/subcommittees/investigations/library/files/majority-and-minority-staff-report_-the-true-cost-of-government-shutdowns/.
During the first FY2026 shutdown, CBO released two reports in October 2025 on the estimated economic effects of the shutdown as follows:
OPM has some information publicly available on the internet related to government shutdowns and furloughs:
The website includes links to guidance related to administrative and shutdown furloughs. The shutdown portion of the website includes the following additional references to historical guidance:
The following documents are from the National Archives and Records Administration, current Administration websites, and the Government Publishing Office.27 These documents cover illustrative statements made by Presidents and Administration officials during government shutdowns and are arranged by date.
Historical Context.28 The November 1995 shutdown began on November 14, 1995, and ended on November 19, 1995. An estimated 800,000 federal employees were furloughed during the five full days of the shutdown.29 The furlough action was due to the expiration of a CR (P.L. 104-31) that funded the government through November 13, 1995. On November 13, President Clinton vetoed a second CR (H.J.Res. 115) and a debt limit extension bill (H.R. 2586) and instructed agencies to begin shutdown operations. The following presidential statements occurred during this time period:
Historical Context.30 The December 1995–January 1996 shutdown began on December 16, 1995, and ended on January 6, 1996. The shutdown was triggered by the expiration of a CR enacted on November 20, 1995 (P.L. 104-56), which funded the government through December 15, 1995. The shutdown officially ended on January 6, with the passage of three CRs (P.L. 104-91, P.L. 104-92, and P.L. 104-94). There were five additional short-term CRs needed to prevent further funding gaps from occurring through April 26, 1996, when the Omnibus Consolidated Rescissions and Appropriations Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-134) was enacted to fund any agencies or programs not yet funded through FY1996. The following presidential statements occurred from December 15, 1995, through January 6, 1996:
Historical Context.31 A shutdown occurred at the beginning of FY2014 (October 1, 2013) and lasted for a total of 16 full days. At the beginning of the fiscal year, none of the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2014 were enacted. In addition, a CR to provide temporary funding for the previous year's projects and activities had also not been enacted. On September 30, however, an automatic CR was enacted that covered FY2014 pay and allowances for (1) certain members of the Armed Forces, (2) certain Department of Defense (DOD) civilian personnel, and (3) other specified DOD and DHS contractors (P.L. 113-39).32
A CR was signed into law (P.L. 113-46) on October 17, 2013, that ended the shutdown and allowed government departments and agencies to reopen. The following presidential statements occurred from September 30, 2013, through October 19, 2013, and included discussion of the shutdown:
Historical Context.33 At the beginning of FY2018, none of the 12 regular appropriations bills had been enacted, so the federal government operated under a series of CRs. The first, P.L. 115-56, provided government-wide funding through December 8, 2017. The second, P.L. 115-90, extended funding through December 22, and the third, P.L. 115-96, extended it through January 19, 2018.
In the absence of agreement on legislation that would further extend the period of these CRs, a funding gap began with the expiration of P.L. 115-96 at midnight on January 19. A furlough of federal personnel began over the weekend and continued through Monday of the following week, ending with enactment of a fourth CR, P.L. 115-120, on January 22.
The following statements by the President and Administration officials occurred from January 19, 2018, through January 22, 2018, and included discussion of the shutdown:
Historical Context. The December 2018–January 2019 government shutdown began on December 22, 2018, and ended on January 25, 2019. Five of the 12 regular appropriations bills for FY2019 had been enacted by the start of the fiscal year (October 1, 2018) in two separate consolidated appropriations acts (P.L. 115-245 and P.L. 115-298).34 The remaining seven regular appropriations bills were funded from October 1, 2018, through December 21, 2018, under two consecutive CRs. The first CR, P.L. 115-245, provided funding for the remaining seven appropriations bills through December 7, 2018.35 The second CR, P.L. 115-298, extended funding for these seven appropriations bills through December 21, 2018. No new appropriations were enacted upon the expiration of P.L. 115-298. As a result, a funding gap affecting these seven regular appropriations bills for FY2019 began at midnight.
The funding gap ended when a CR was signed into law on January 25, 2019, covering the seven unenacted regular appropriations bills for FY2019 (P.L. 116-5). The government shutdown lasted 34 full days—the longest shutdown at that point in time—since key Department of Justice opinions were issued in 1980 and 1981. The following presidential statements occurred from December 21, 2018, through January 25, 2019, and included discussion of the shutdown:
Historical Context.36 None of the 12 FY2026 regular appropriations bills had been enacted by the start of the fiscal year on October 1, 2025. A funding gap affecting all 12 of the regular appropriations bills began on October 1, 2025, after a House-passed CR (H.R. 5371) failed to pass the Senate on two occasions in the days leading up to the end of the fiscal year (once on September 19 and once on September 30).37 The funding gap and resulting government shutdown lasted 42 full days, ending on November 12, 2025. A subsequent brief partial funding gap—and a longer funding gap affecting FY2026 Homeland Security appropriations—also took place in the first few months of calendar year 2026.38 The following selected presidential statements occurred from September 30, 2025, through April 3, 2026, and included discussion of the FY2026 shutdowns as noted below:
Some of the descriptions within this report draw from CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass, and CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. Jessica Tollestrup assisted by providing details within the brief historical context sections on the November 1995, December 1995–January 1996, and October 2013 shutdowns.
| 1. |
As explained in other CRS reports, although a shutdown may be the result of a funding gap, the two events are distinguishable. This is because a funding gap may result in a shutdown of all affected projects or activities in some instances but not in others. For example, when a funding gap is of a short duration, such as just a few hours, agencies may not have enough time to shut down affected projects and activities before funding is restored. In addition, the Office of Management and Budget has previously indicated that a shutdown of agency operations within the first day of a funding gap may be postponed or avoided if it appears that funding through a CR or regular appropriations act is likely to be enacted that same day. If funding resumes on the first day after previous funding expires, then funding was technically available that day, and no funding gap is said to occur. Alternatively, if decisionmakers in the executive branch are uncertain that funding will resume at some point on that day, they may not prevent a shutdown during that day. Consequently, an agency function might shut down for a day even if funding technically resumes sometime during that day (i.e., activities may be shut down in the absence of a funding gap). CRS is able to authoritatively count full days of a funding gap but not necessarily what counts as a "shutdown" in some circumstances. For discussion of distinguishing shutdowns from funding gaps, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass. For more detailed discussions of historical federal funding lapses, see CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. |
| 2. |
For a brief overview of FY2026 events, including information on funding gaps and their duration in full days, see the section on funding gaps in FY2026 in CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. For an overview of how lapses in FY2026 appropriations affecting DHS, see CRS Report R49105, Lapses in DHS Appropriations: History and Plans, by William L. Painter. |
| 3. |
This product is currently listed as archived by CRS. An archived CRS product is no longer being updated but is available on CRS.gov. |
| 4. |
This product is currently listed as archived by CRS. An archived CRS product is no longer being updated but is available on CRS.gov. |
| 5. |
This product is currently listed as archived by CRS. An archived CRS product is no longer being updated but is available on CRS.gov. |
| 6. |
Until 2004, GAO was called the General Accounting Office. |
| 7. |
Information about historical context in this section was provided by Clinton Brass. For more information on government shutdowns, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass. |
| 8. |
Benjamin Civiletti was U.S. Attorney General from 1979 to 1981. |
| 9. |
The opinions stated that, with some exceptions, the head of an agency could avoid violating the Antideficiency Act only by suspending the agency's operations until the enactment of an appropriation. In the absence of appropriations, exceptions would be allowed only when there is "some reasonable and articulable connection between the function to be performed and the safety of human life or the protection of property." For discussion of exemptions, see GAO, Principles of Federal Appropriations Law, 3rd ed., vol. II, GAO-06-382SP, February 2006, ch. 6, pp. 6-146–6-159, http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-06-382SP. |
| 10. |
GAO, Cost of the Recent Partial Shutdown of Government Offices, PAD-82-24, December 10, 1981, http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-82-24. |
| 11. |
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel, Government Operation in the Event of a Lapse in Appropriations, memorandum from Walter Dellinger, Assistant Attorney General, to Alice Rivlin, Director, OMB, August 16, 1995. Reprinted in the hearing print at pp. 77-85. |
| 12. |
The hearing print includes inserted material from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Shutdown Plan, September 1995, pp. 80-90; VA, Agency Shutdown Guidance, August 14, 1995, pp. 119-131; VA, Lapse of Appropriation Furlough Guidance, September 19, 1995, pp. 132-151; and VA, Updated Plans for Implementing a Government Shutdown, December 14, 1995, pp. 354-374. |
| 13. |
The hearing includes an OMB letter with information about the effects of the shutdowns and counts of employees who were excepted and not excepted from furlough. See pp. 266-270 and 272-274. |
| 14. | |
| 15. |
This hearing was held on December 11, 2025, and a published transcript is not yet available from GPO. |
| 16. |
The hearing was held on July 22, 2026, and a published transcript is not yet available from GPO. |
| 17. |
Some of these documents have been reproduced within legislative branch documents mentioned within this report. See U.S. Congress, House and Senate Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential Government Shutdown, hearing 104th Cong., 1st sess., September 19, 1995, pp. 77-85; GAO, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government Operations, Appendices V, VI, and VII; and U.S. Congress, House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Subcommittee on Civil Service, Government Shutdown I: What's Essential?, hearings, 104th Cong., 1st sess., December 6, and 14, 1995, pp. 99-112, 121-131, and 428-430. |
| 18. |
OMB Circular A-11 provides guidance to agencies on preparing the upcoming fiscal year budget and instructions on budget execution. The entire Circular A-11 is available as follows: OMB, Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget, Circular A-11, August 2025, §124, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/a11.pdf. For information about OMB, see CRS Report RS21665, Office of Management and Budget (OMB): An Overview, coordinated by Taylor N. Riccard. |
| 19. |
For the 1980 Civiletti opinion, see GAO, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government Operations, PAD-81-31, March 3, 1981, pp. 63-69, http://www.gao.gov/products/PAD-81-31. |
| 20. |
For the 1981 Civiletti opinion, see GAO, Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal Government Operations, pp. 77-92. |
| 21. |
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Legal Counsel, Government Operation in the Event of a Lapse in Appropriations, memorandum from Walter Dellinger, Assistant Attorney General, to Alice Rivlin, Director, OMB, August 16, 1995, reprinted in U.S. Congress, House and Senate Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential Government Shutdown, hearing, 104th Cong., 1st sess., September 19, 1995 (GPO, 1995), pp. 77-85, http://www.archive.org/details/effectsofpotenti00unit. |
| 22. |
OMB, Circular A-11, §124.1, August 2025. For the Office of Legal Counsel document, see U.S. Congress, House and Senate Committees on the Budget, Effects of Potential Government Shutdown, hearing, 104th Cong., 1st sess., September 19, 1995 (GPO, 1995), pp. 77-85, http://www.archive.org/details/effectsofpotenti00unit. For more information on federal government shutdown causes, processes, and effects, including some of the history of how guidance within the executive branch has evolved, see CRS Report RL34680, Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects, coordinated by Clinton T. Brass. |
| 23. |
For past versions of this web page from previous Administrations, see OMB, "Agency Contingency Plans," https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/agency-contingency-plans/, and "Agency Contingency Plans," https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/agency-contingency-plans/, both archived at U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, "Archived Presidential White House Websites," https://www.archives.gov/presidential-records/research/archived-white-house-websites. As of the date of this report, OMB's public website does not provide links to agency shutdown plans. Some organizations and press outlets may also engage in continual reporting on topics relating to shutdown plans. An illustrative example of these types of resources includes Stephanie Wright, "Here's a Look at Federal Agencies' Shutdown Contingency Plans," Federal News Network, September 30, 2025, https://federalnewsnetwork.com/government-shutdown/2025/09/heres-a-look-at-federal-agencies-contingency-plans-as-shutdown-looms/. |
| 24. |
See OMB, Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget, Circular A-11, August 2025, Section 124, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/a11.pdf. For information about OMB, see CRS Report RS21665, Office of Management and Budget (OMB): An Overview, coordinated by Taylor N. Riccard. |
| 25. |
For example, see Department of Commerce, "Plan for an Orderly Shutdown Due to Lapse of Congressional Appropriations, September 29, 2025," https://www.commerce.gov/sites/default/files/2025-09/DOC-Lapse-Plan-2025.pdf. |
| 26. |
An accompanying OMB blog post entitled Impacts and Costs of the Government Shutdown is available at https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/11/07/impacts-and-costs-government-shutdown. |
| 27. |
See the GPO Gov Info "Compilation of Presidential Documents" website at https://www.govinfo.gov/app/collection/cpd/2025. |
| 28. |
Jessica Tollestrup, CRS Specialist in Social Policy, provided information about the historical context in this section. |
| 29. |
See U.S. Congress, House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, Subcommittee on Civil Service, Government Shutdown I: What's Essential? hearings, 104th Cong., 1st sess., December 6, and 14, 1995, p. 4. |
| 30. |
Jessica Tollestrup, CRS Specialist in Social Policy, provided information about the historical context in this section. |
| 31. |
Jessica Tollestrup, CRS Specialist in Social Policy, provided information about the historical context in this section. |
| 32. |
For more information on automatic CRs, see CRS Report R41948, Automatic Continuing Resolutions: Background and Overview of Recent Proposals, by Jessica Tollestrup. |
| 33. |
More details on the shutdown can be found in CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. |
| 34. |
P.L. 115-245 provided funding for DOD and Labor-HHS-ED, and P.L. 115-244 provided funding for Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Constructions-Veterans Affairs. |
| 35. |
Agriculture and Related Agencies; Commerce-Justice-Science and Related Agencies; Financial Service and General Government; Homeland Security; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. |
| 36. |
Information in this section is adapted from descriptive text in CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. |
| 37. |
See also the entry for on the Continuing Resolutions tab of the FY2026 CRS Appropriations Status Table at https://crs.gov/legislative/appropriations-status-table. |
| 38. |
For a brief overview of these events, see the section on funding gaps in FY2026 in CRS Report RS20348, Federal Funding Gaps: A Brief Overview, by James V. Saturno. For an overview of how lapses in annual FY2026 appropriations have affected the DHS, see CRS Report R49105, Lapses in DHS Appropriations: History and Plans, by William L. Painter. |