The first government shutdown in six and a half years is quickly approaching, and the White House is encouraging federal agencies to reflect during the pause.
In the past, when a government shutdown has occurred, nonessential federal workers have been temporarily furloughed, and essential workers have stayed on the job without pay while Congress resolves funding disputes and then votes to pay the workers back retroactively.
Here’s what we could see from a government shutdown in 2025.
What is the deadline to avoid a government shutdown?
This potential shutdown is quite different, as it comes during an administration that has actively been reducing the federal workforce since it began nine months ago. Government funding lapses at midnight on Sept. 30, and the president canceled meetings with House and Senate minority leaders as recently as Sept. 23.
How likely is a government shutdown in 2025?
The memo from the Office of Management and Budget (OPM) said agencies should “use this opportunity to consider” reductions in the workforce for programs that are discretionary, have another source of funding or that are “not consistent with the President’s priorities.”
Earlier in September, members of Congress failed to advance any short-term funding extensions before a holiday break. Now, there are fewer than five days before the end of the month, and subsequently the end of the funding budget.
The main issues are about healthcare. Democrats say they will not agree to fund the government unless Republicans deal with rising healthcare costs. This includes reversing the recent cuts to Medicaid and extending the subsidies for Obamacare premiums.
Democrats proposed a temporary funding bill that would have restored money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It also aimed to stop the White House from withholding funds that Congress had approved. However, this bill did not pass in the Senate.
How many federal employees are there in Tennessee?
According to the OPM’s latest data, as of Sept. 2024, there were 32,574 federal employees across all agencies in Tennessee, about 1.5% of all federal employees in the United States.
The largest agency in the state is the Department of Veterans Affairs, which has 13,632 employees. The next largest agency in the state is the Department of the Army with 2,902 employees. In the state of Tennessee, there are six bases and installations in all three major regions.
It is difficult to ascertain the precise count of federal employees because the Trump administration undertook efforts to cut federal jobs and impose a funding freeze through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). As a result, many employees faced firings, layoffs, and accepted early resignations.
Many of the people fired were still on provisionary status, and some of Trump’s attempts at workforce reduction have been blocked or reversed by lower courts.
However, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lost more than 880 probationary employees. Approximately 900 NASA employees accepted Trump’s offer of deferred resignation. In March, a Veterans Affairs memo announced plans to reduce the workforce by more than 80,000 workers.
What agencies are essential during a government shutdown?
Essential services include the U.S. Postal Service, Medicare and Social Security services, and air traffic control. It should be noted that, despite these industries being essential, their employees will not be paid while the government continues its shutdown.
The federal Medicare and Medicaid health insurance programs are considered mandatory spending, meaning benefits won’t be impacted if the government shuts down. The Social Security Administration is projected to pay out $1.6 trillion to 72 million beneficiaries this year, and these payments will not be disrupted by the shutdown.
Air travel continues during a shutdown because the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control and the Transportation Security Administration are essential services. During the previous shutdown in late 2018, some TSA checkpoints were closed and travelers faced longer lines when agents didn’t report to work, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
How many US government shutdowns have there been?
The federal government has closed down 21 times since 1977, with each shutdown averaging about eight days. The most recent one lasted for 35 days, from December 2018 to January 2019, during Donald Trump‘s first term as president.
Jordan Green covers trending news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Government shutdown layoffs could impact these Tennessee workers