Shutdown in the United States: how the government will operate during the shutdown
Shutdown in the United States: how the government will operate during the shutdown
porEditorial Team
Argentina
The shutdown of the federal government in the U.S. left more than 750,000 employees on unpaid leave and paralyzed several key agencies
The federal government of United States entered a shutdown at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday after a heated dispute in Congress over funding. The situation forced the closure of numerous offices and services, leaving three-quarters of a million employees on unpaid leave and others working without pay until further notice.
According to the Congressional Budget Office, the measure means a delay in payments of $400 million per day, which generates a significant economic and social impact.
Which agencies are most affected
Shutdown en Estados Unidos: cómo funcionará el gobierno durante el cierre
The level of paralysis varies according to each federal agency. The percentages of employees on leave show the magnitude of the shutdown:
Department of Education: 87%
Department of Commerce: 81%
Department of Labor: 76%
Department of State: 62%
Department of Agriculture: 49%
Department of Defense: 45%
Department of Health and Human Services: 41%
Department of Justice: 11%
Environmental Protection Agency: 8%
Department of Homeland Security: 5%
Department of Veterans Affairs: 3%
Department of the Treasury: 2%
In contrast, agencies linked to national security and veterans keep most of their staff on duty, although often without pay.
Services that will continue operating
Some basic services will not be interrupted because they do not depend on annual Congressional funding. Among them are:
Postal service (USPS).
Social Security payments, although 88% of employees in the area will work without pay.
Department of Veterans Affairs, with 96% of its staff active.
Tax returns, since the IRS has alternative funding until 2031 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act promoted in 2022.
Shutdown en Estados Unidos: cómo funcionará el gobierno durante el cierre
Impact on national parks and museums
National parks with open access, such as trails or outdoor monuments, will remain accessible. However, those that depend on gates or closed facilities will not open.
This means that places like the Washington Monument or Harpers Ferry museums will not be available, while iconic parks such as Yellowstone or Zion will remain largely accessible. To sustain basic services such as trash collection, restrooms, or campgrounds, parks may use revenue from visitor fees.
Economy and cybersecurity at risk
The shutdown also halts the publication of official statistics. The Department of Labor confirmed that the Bureau of Labor Statistics suspended all its operations, which delays the publication of key economic data, such as September's employment figures.
In terms of cybersecurity, the situation is delicate: 65% of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is on leave, which limits the ability to respond to possible cyberattacks in a context of increasing hostile activity from China and other international actors.
Background of the government shutdown
This shutdown is the first since December 2018, when a partial closure lasted 34 days, becoming the longest in United States history. The new crisis once again reflects the difficulty of reaching consensus in Congress and anticipates a scenario of political and economic uncertainty.
