U.S. Federal Government Status
Is the Government
Shut Down?
The federal government is currently operating normally. All agencies are funded.
The easiest way to see whether the U.S. government is shut down.
No
Latest coverage
6 linksHeadlines from major outlets (RSS). Fallback links apply if the feed is unavailable.
House passes bill to fund the government until after midterm elections - The Washington Post
The Washington Post/Jul 21
Opposing Defense Bill, Democrats Shift Their Tactics - The New York Times
The New York Times/5d ago
The White House pushes healthy eating. It cut a landmark nutrition education program - NPR
NPR/6d ago
US House votes to halt Iran war, in another symbolic rebuke of Trump - Reuters
Reuters/6d ago
Republicans have ‘nothing to run on’ in midterms after Trump failures, Jeffries says - The Guardian
The Guardian/2d ago
US immigration agents arrested a record number of people in June, data shows - The Guardian
The Guardian/Jul 21
Why shutdowns happen
- 01Every fiscal year, Congress needs to pass appropriations bills (or a stopgap "continuing resolution") to authorize government spending for agencies and programs.
- 02If those bills don't pass before the previous funding expires (usually September 30), there's a funding lapse — meaning no legal authority to spend on many operations.
- 03Under the Antideficiency Act, government agencies are prohibited from incurring obligations (i.e. spending money) without an appropriation. That law forces the government to shut down non-essential functions during a funding gap.
- 04Politically, shutdowns usually emerge when parties (or branches of government) clash over budget priorities — what gets cut, what gets expanded, how much to spend, etc. These fights often include policy demands tied to funding (so it isn't just dollars, it's also politics).
Frequently Asked Questions
What you need to know about government shutdowns.