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At midnight on Sept. 30, federal funding lapsed and the government entered a full shutdown.
Sen. Chris Murphy's office provided the following excellent descriptor of what the shutdown means currently and if it possibly continues for an extended period of time. In addition, resources have been included to assist Connecticut families during this period of uncertainty.
Many federal agencies will be forced to furlough staff, which will slow response times. In some cases, agencies may be forced to suspend their services entirely.
Note a government shutdown will also impact Sen. Murphy's and Sen. Richard Blumenthal's ability to assist constituents.
State services -- those run by and funded by Connecticut -- will remain open. An extended shutdown could affect at least some state services that depend at least in part on federal funding.
For example, Access Health, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, and the call center, remain open for business during the government shutdown. The shutdown does not have an operational impact to Access Health CT or its customers. Financial help, including Advanced Premium Tax Credits, will continue to be available.
Customers can get help to answer their questions. For help online, visit AccessHealthCT.com. Customers can also chat live with a customer service representative by clicking the “Live Chat” icon on the website. Live chat is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
The call center remains open at 1-855-805-4325 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Help is available in over 100 languages.
Customers who are deaf or hearing impaired may use TTY at 1-855-789-2428 or call a relay operator.
Please continue to read below for more information:
What is a government shutdown?
Many federal government agencies and programs rely on annual funding appropriations passed by Congress. Every year, Congress must pass and the President must sign budget legislation for the next fiscal year. When Congress fails to pass these bills, federal agencies are required to suspend all non-essential operations, or “shut down,” until new funding legislation is passed and signed into law. Many essential services will continue to function, as will mandatory spending programs.
What services are affected in a shutdown and how?
Each federal agency develops its own shutdown plan, following guidance released by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Each plan identifies which government activities may not continue until appropriations are restored, requiring furloughs and the halting of many agency activities. Essential services – many of which are related to public safety – continue to operate, and are subsequently paid for when appropriations are enacted.
In prior shutdowns, in-hospital medical care, air traffic control, law enforcement, and power grid maintenance have been among the services classified as essential, as have some legislative and judicial staff. Mandatory spending not subject to annual appropriations, such as for Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, also continues. Other examples of activities that continue are those funded by user fees that are not subject to the appropriations process, such as immigration services funded by visa fees.
How will this affect you?
Social Security: Social Security checks will continue to be dispersed during a government shutdown because they are classified as mandatory spending. Limited available staff will work to ensure the Social Security Administration’s field offices will remain open as well in order to assist with applications for benefits, requests for appeals and issuance of original or replacement Social Security cards.
Medicare/Medicaid: Because Medicare and Medicaid are also mandatory spending programs, beneficiaries will continue to receive their benefits. 1-800-MEDICARE will continue to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide help to Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare Open Enrollment issues or other inquiries. Should a lapse in appropriations extend into the Medicare Open Enrollment period that begins October 15th, individuals would be able to continue to use Medicare.gov, call 1-800-MEDICARE, or contact a Medicare health or drug plan to join, switch, or drop a plan. You may experience delays in Medicare card replacement and benefit verification, as many staff will be furloughed. Hospitals and medical providers might experience delays in receiving payment from Medicare.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Though funding for the SNAP program is mandatory, the ability to send out “food stamp” benefits could be affected by a shutdown. The USDA will only be allowed to send out SNAP benefits to recipients for 30 days after the beginning of a shutdown. If the shutdown persists further, SNAP benefits will run out. In addition, during any shutdown, stores are not able to renew their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card licenses, so those whose licenses expire will not be able to accept SNAP benefits during a shutdown.
The Connecticut Food Bank and Food Pantries have locations throughout the state and can offer assistance during a shutdown.
WIC: The federal contingency fund for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) is projected to dry up after just a few days, which will leave many states with limited resources to support the program. As a result, women and children who rely on the program may be turned away from grocery stores as soon as next week when the program will no longer be able to load money onto their electronic benefit (EBT) cards. The Connecticut Food Bank and Food Pantries have locations throughout the state and can offer assistance during a shutdown.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): The TANF program is a grant given to each state to run its welfare program. As such, access to TANF benefits will vary state by state during a shutdown and funds may run out unless states fund the programs as part of their own budget process.
Air Travel: Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents and air traffic controllers are deemed “essential” in the event of a shutdown but will be required to work without pay. This caused a strain on air travel during the 2018-2019 shutdown, with travelers facing longer lines, delays, and canceled flights as security checkpoints were closed while some TSA agents and air traffic controllers began calling out of work while not getting paid. It is possible that air travel will be similarly impacted during the current shutdown so please monitor the situation if you’re planning to fly.
Passports: Scheduled passport and visa services in the United States and the US Embassies and Consulates overseas will continue during a government shutdown. Passport agencies and offices will continue to process applications, provide expedite services and assist with urgent travel needs.
Military and National Security: 1.3 million active-duty troops and hundreds of thousands of Department of Defense civilian employees will continue working every day to keep our country safe but they will not receive their paycheck during a shutdown. This will strain household budgets for the men and women tasked with keeping our country safe, hurting long-term retention and recruitment efforts. Some vital security operations will be disrupted, and servicemembers could see their access to medical care, child care, and some on-base facilities limited.
The Coast Guard Academy: All service academies have special status to continue certain operations. Faculty who are career military and civilian staff members who have been deemed mission critical will continue teaching throughout a government shutdown. Some civilian staff members will be furloughed, causing interruptions for some classes, extracurriculars, sports, and certain school services. During the 2018-2019 shutdown, 160 civilian employees at the Academy were furloughed, causing class sizes to increase. During that period, cadets did not receive the bimonthly stipend payments they often rely upon.
Veterans Benefits: Veterans will still be able to access medical care and burials will continue at Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries. VA will also continue to process and deliver benefits to veterans, including compensation, pension, education, and housing benefits, and the Board will continue to process appeals. The CT Veterans Benefits Administration has funds to cover operating costs for a brief shutdown and will continue to be open to the public, but when those funds run out, the CT regional office may close and pause important services including outreach to veterans, career counseling, transition assistance, and cemetery grounds maintenance.
Housing: The Administration has not yet released a contingency plan for operations of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Public housing, Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA), and the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program are funded on a calendar year basis, and have funding available through the end of the year. HUD has historically implemented contingency plans to ensure funding remains accessible during government shutdowns, but the department has not confirmed they will do so again this year. In the event the administration does not make HUD staff available to approve payments and drawdowns, some Public Housing Authorities, Indian Tribes, and Tribally-Desaignated Housing Entities could be affected. Not all HUD loans will be paused, but their disbursement is likely to be delayed due to limited staff.
Disaster Relief: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is expected to have sufficient balances in the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to fund emergency work during a shutdown. The duration of the funding will depend on the timing, scope, and scale of any future disasters that might require more robust spending, exhausting DRF balances more quickly. Once carryover balances are exhausted, there will be a stoppage of Individual Assistance payments to disaster survivors. Due to the Administration’s systematic dismantling of the FEMA workforce and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem’s insistence on personally approving any spending over $100,000, payments for response and recovery efforts following a disaster could be delayed, even where sufficient DRF balances exist. In addition to the DRF, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and its partners will not be allowed to issue new contracts for flood insurance for the duration of a government shutdown.
Small Business Administration (SBA): The U.S. Small Business Administration will not accept, review, or approve any new business loans for the duration of a government shutdown. SBA’s disaster funding account is prohibitively low for the agency to offer any new loans to small business owners or homeowners. With that said, SBA is still accepting and reviewing disaster loan applications to restart operations when it receives additional funding.
Internal Revenue Service (IRS): The Trump administration has not yet released guidance on the impact of the shutdown on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) workforce. Taxpayers remain obligated to fulfill their tax obligations, and services like tax return processing should carry on unaffected. Delays in income and Social Security verification may persist leading to increased wait times for mortgage and other loan approvals. Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) casework will be paused for the duration of the shutdown.
Health and Human Services: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be prevented from admitting new patients or processing grant applications, and critical research on diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s will be stalled. New patients who are waiting for a chance at new treatment through a clinical trial will be turned away. Technical assistance to state and local health departments will not be continued by CDC, and responses to public inquiries about public health matters will be suspended, as well.
National Parks: National Park Service (NPS) sites will be closed, meaning that the majority of national parks will not be accessible to the public. Areas that are physically accessible to the public will face significantly reduced visitor services. At NPS sites across the country, gates will be locked, visitor centers will be closed, and thousands of park rangers will be furloughed. Accordingly, the public will be encouraged not to visit sites during the period of lapse in appropriations out of consideration for protection of natural and cultural resources, as well as visitor safety.
Student Loans: Federal Student Aid (FSA) programs, such as the Pell Grant and the Direct Loan program, will not be impacted. While loan servicers will be able to continue to process payments regularly, there could be delays for those who need to consult with or seek help from the Education Department due to the potential of agency furloughs. The furloughs may also result in disruptions to processing FAFSA applications, disbursing Pell Grants, and other functions.
Postal Services: United States Postal Service (USPS) services will not be impacted by a government shutdown. USPS is funded through sales and services. Post Offices will remain open and you will be able to continue to send and receive mail while the federal government is shut down.
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