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Shutdown Resources for Federal Employees
November 7, 2025
Day 38 of the Shutdown
Congress needs to pass a bipartisan government funding bill IMMEDIATELY.
This shutdown is entirely avoidable. A government funding bill agreed to by Republican and Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate is the only way to ensure there are enough votes in the House of Representatives and the Senate to stop the shutdown and end the lockout of federal workers.
The U.S. federal government shutdown is due to a lapse in funding, caused by Congress’s inability to pass legislation to keep the government funded in time for the start of the new fiscal year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has put the House of Representatives into recess until October 20, which means it’s up to the Senate to find a bipartisan agreement on a continuing resolution (CR) to provide short-term funding and reopen the government.
Here’s what a shutdown means for federal employees:
Unless otherwise directed, federal employees will report to work as scheduled. Employees may be assigned work necessary to conduct an orderly shutdown of their agency. Employees will also be informed if they are furloughed (assigned a leave of absence from work), or if they are “excepted” from furlough and therefore ordered to report to work during the shutdown.
Both furloughed and excepted federal employees will not be paid during the shutdown. Federal employees will be paid as soon as possible once government funding is restored and the shutdown ends, per the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (GEFTA).
While federal agencies cannot incur expenses without prior approval of funding (or “appropriations”) from Congress, the federal government does have a legal right to maintain emergency operations to meet its obligations to the safety of life and the protection of property. To meet those obligations, agencies will designate some federal employees as “excepted” from furlough.
Each agency should have a “contingency plan” that indicates which federal employees are expected to be furloughed during the length of the shutdown, with the remainder reporting to work. Normally, these agency contingency plans are listed on the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) website – but OMB is directing federal workers to find these plans on their agency’s websites.
Employees who are furloughed at the start of the shutdown may be recalled to work under excepted status at any point during the shutdown. Conversely, excepted employees may be moved to furlough status during the shutdown if an agency deems it appropriate.
Employees whose activities are funded by non-appropriated funds – i.e., mandatory spending, activities funded by user fees, or operations paid through trust funds – may be “exempt” from the furlough and work through the lapse in appropriations.
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Agency Contingency Plans – In normal years, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has maintained the latest federal agency contingency plans listed.
However, the current OMB page for agency contingency plans (https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-resources/guidance/miscellaneous/) directs visitors to find the agency contingency plan on the agency websites.
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Analysis from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Understanding the Legal Framework Governing a Shutdown, by Sam Berger, former Associate Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs-OMB and former senior policy advisor at OMB
This analysis includes information on the legal limits of the Executive Branch’s authority under a government shutdown caused by a lapse in government funding. Topics include:
Activities That Can Continue During a Government Shutdown
Executive Branch Restrictions During a Government Shutdown
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Revised OPM Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs, Updated September 29, 2025 [PDF] — OPM has updated their previous guidance for federal agencies and employees.
Previous OPM Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs, Updated January 29, 2024 – This is the federal government’s guidance for federal agencies and employees and includes answers to frequently asked questions. This document contains the statutory requirements of the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (GEFTA), which, among other provisions, requires all federal employees to be paid after a shutdown ends and government funding is restored.
Some pertinent information addressed in this guidance includes:
General guidelines for excepted employees (Section A, starting on page 1)
How excepted employees with previously approved leave maintain their requested time off (Section F, starting on page 10)
Employees taking second jobs during the shutdown and ethics considerations (Section C, question 3, on page 4)
Access to federal employee benefits and impacts to benefits (Section H, starting on page 21)
Impact on retirement (Section L, starting on page 27)
Agencies’ obligation to bargain with unions (Section Q, question 2, on page 37)
Sample of an agency notice of furlough due to the lapse in appropriations (page 40)
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Current OMB Special Instructions for Agencies Affected by a Possible Lapse in Appropriations Starting on October 1, 2025 — This 10-page document provides agencies with information on the following topics:
General: Agencies are told to review OPM and OMB guidance
Payroll Implications
Leave
Holidays
Orderly Shutdown
Excepted Employees
Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), Reduction-in-Force (RIF), and similar workforce realignment situations
Probationary Employees
Simultaneous Reduction in Force in Process
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Current OMB Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations, Dated October 3, 2025 — This document, released by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) lists various principles of agency operations during a government shutdown.
NOTE: The current October 2025 version inexplicably removes language from section “VI. Entitlement to Payment for Excepted Work” and Answer (page 16) that was in the previous OMB Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations, dated September 22, 2023 [PDF]. The previous September 2023 version explains the Goverment Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (GEFTA) was enacted and provides back pay to federal employees who are excepted from furlough and working during a shutdown as well as for federal employees who are furloughed during the shutdown. The language that was included in the September 2023 document but removed in the October 2025 document reads:
“The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-1) provides that upon enactment of appropriations to end a lapse, both furloughed and excepted employees will be paid retroactively as soon as possible after the lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates. Additional guidance for agencies on implementing Public Law 116-1 and treatment of pay and leave is available from OPM.” (Page 16 of OMB Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations, dated September 22, 2023 [PDF])
IFPTE asserts that any attempt by the Administration to circumvent or deny payment of wages to federal workers who are furloughed or excepted and without pay during the shutdown is wholly illegal. See IFPTE’s statement here.
The following topics are covered in the current October 2025 and previous September 2023 17-page documents:
Basic Principles of Agency Operations during a Lapse in Appropriations
Contracts and Grants
Information Technology
Orderly Shutdown
Travel
Entitlement to Payment for Excepted Work
Carryover Funds
Use of Charge Cards
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Federal Household Shutdown Checklist
Furloughed Employees Can File for Unemployment Insurance:
Federal employees who are furloughed and not reporting to work during the shutdown are eligible for state unemployment insurance (UI). Once the shutdown ends, UI benefits will be considered “overpayment” and will have to be paid back.
For more information on how to file for your state UI, see the Department of Labor’s website for federal employees: https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/2019_shutdown/2019_partial_shutdown.asp
Check Your Finances:
Call your landlord, bank, credit union, mortgage lender, or other loan provider to let them know you are a furloughed federal worker and ask if you can delay payments until the government is funded again.
Your credit union or bank may offer a short-term, low-interest loan for federal employees.
Log onto your credit card and bank accounts to check for recurring expenses, such as online subscription services or memberships, and put them on pause.
Check your local government to see if they are offering free services, such as memberships to recreation facilities, to federal workers and their families.
Mind Your Wellness:
Call 211 or log onto 211.org for mental health and other services that you and your loved ones may need during the shutdown.
Make a list of places you’ve been meaning to visit or friends you’ve been meaning to see, and schedule at least one activity a day.
Keep in touch with your co-workers and make sure you have contact information for your steward or local union leaders.
RESOURCES FOR FEDERAL WORKERS
FEDERAL EMPLOYEE EDUCATION & ASSISTANCE FUND (FEEA)
Government Shutdown: Resources for Federal Civilian Employees
SHUTDOWN ASSISTANCE MAP (SAM) - free resource created by MyFEDBenefits. This tool compiles local and national support services available to federal workers during this government shutdown, such as food banks, financial support, and other relevant services.
AFL-CIO STATE RESOURCES FOR SHUTDOWN-IMPACTED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND CONTRACTORS
State-by-State Resources
National Resources
Background and Research
Pending Legislation
UNION PLUS RESOURCES FOR MEMBERS IMPACTED BY THE 2025 GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
If you are a union member who participates in certain Union Plus programs and have been impacted by the 2025 Federal Government shutdown, you may be eligible for financial assistance through the Union Plus Furlough Grant Program.
LOCAL/AREA-SPECIFIC RESOURCES
TAKE ACTION NOW!
THE PEOPLE’S PANTRY - WHILE THEY BUILD BALLROOMS, WE FEED PEOPLE
Join furloughed federal workers and allies for a food drive on Thursday, October 30.
TELL CONGRESS TO GET TO WORK AND PASS BIPARTISAN GOVERNMENT FUNDING
Tell Congress to pass a bipartisan Continuing Resolution (CR) to Stop the Shutdown. A government funding bill that is agreed to by Republican and Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate is the only way to make sure there are enough votes in the House of Representatives to advance the bill, pass it in the Senate, and stop the shutdown:
Email your Congressional Representative - tell them to “Stop the Shutdown, Negotiate a Bipartisan Spending Deal”
Call House Speaker Mike Johnson at 202-225-4000 and put forward a continuing resolution that has the bipartisan support of Congressional leadership.
Write a letter-to-the-editor to a newspaper or local online outlet such as patch.com and share your story with the public.
Congress Needs Language in Funding Bills to Protect Government Funding from Unlawful Overreach
Without enforceable legislative safeguards, any 2026 funding deal risks being ignored or overturned, increasing the likelihood of a government shutdown.
Sign Up Here to Receive Shutdown Messages
If the shutdown occurs, IFPTE will keep members updated through our messaging tool, Action Network.
Members are highly encouraged to send IFPTE their personal email address to receive updated messages, alerts, and any other pertinent shutdown information. This is also necessary if you are currently receiving IFPTE messages and alerts through your work email address.