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federal workers

A government shutdown in 2026, should one occur, would follow the same legal mechanism as every previous lapse: Congress fails to pass appropriations bills, or a stopgap extension of them, before existing funding authority expires, and federal agencies are legally required to cease all but a defined set of essential operations until new funding is enacted.

  • Federal employees deemed non-essential are furloughed without pay for the duration.
  • Federal employees deemed essential continue working but do not receive pay until the shutdown ends.
  • Federal contractors are typically not covered by back-pay guarantees, meaning income lost during a shutdown is often permanently lost for them.
  • Businesses and communities dependent on federal facilities or tourism to federal sites absorb losses that are rarely recovered even after funding resumes.

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