Frequently Asked Questions

Will Social Security benefit payments be impacted?

The Social Security Administration will continue activities critical to direct-service operations and those needed to ensure accurate and timely payment of benefits. Each State will have to determine whether it can maintain limited Disability Determination Services operations and pay its employees during a lapse. Discontinued activities will include benefit verifications, FOIA requests, Medicare card replacement, and trainings.

SSA encourages Americans to utilize the my Social Security account tool to access services and information as well as manage benefits.

For more information, click here.

Will Medicare and Medicaid continue to operate?

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Program will continue. CMS also has sufficient funding for Medicaid to fund the first quarter of FY 2026 and will maintain staff necessary to make payments to eligible states for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). 

For more information, click here.

Will veterans benefits and services remain accessible?

VA Medical Centers, Outpatient Clinics, and Vet Centers will be open as usual and providing all services. VA benefits will continue to be processed and delivered, including compensation, pension, education, and housing benefits. Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries. Applications for headstones, markers, and burial benefits processing will continue. The Board of Veterans’ Appeals will continue decisions on Veterans’ cases. Suicide prevention programs, homelessness services and caregiver support will continue.

Some programs and offices will be interrupted. For more information, click here.

Will the IRS, including tax enforcement and assistance, continue operating?

The IRS-wide furlough began on October 8. Functions, services and assistance are being limited, including that refunds will no longer be paid for the duration of the shutdown. Most paper correspondence and telephone customer service has been suspended, though automated toll-free telephone applications will still be functional. Walk-ins and appointments at Taxpayer Assistance Centers and meetings on cases overseen by the Independent Office of Appeals or Taxpayer Advocate Service are no longer being offered. 

For more information, click here.

Will access to the National Park System be limited or barred?

National Parks will remain partially open –– roads, trails and open-air memorials under the park system will be open to visitors. Additionally, parks that collect recreation fees will maintain some staff and basic visitor services. Buildings that require staffing will be closed to the public. Some personnel will perform emergency response, border and coastal protection and surveillance, and fire suppression and monitoring activities.

In Arkansas, officials have confirmed that outdoor areas at sites in Hot Springs, Pea Ridge, Little Rock's Central High School and Clinton Presidential Library remain accessible to the public while visitor centers, museums and gift shops are inaccessible. All indoor facilities at the Fort Smith Historic Site are closed, but visitors can still walk the grounds.

For more information on the Department of Interior’s contingency plan, click here.

Will the State Department continue to process passports and visas as well as provide travel assistance?

Consular operations domestically and abroad will remain operational. This includes passports, visas, and assisting U.S. citizens abroad. All U.S. embassies and consulates abroad will be operational for national security reasons.

For more information, click here.

What services and programs under the U.S. Department of Agriculture will be interrupted?

Food safety inspections will continue while preventative food safety efforts may be disrupted.

USDA has resumed Farm Service Agency core operations, including critical services for farm loan processing and ARC/PLC payments. Each FSA office will be staffed by two workers to help farmers apply for farm loans, crop insurance, disaster aid and other programs.

Food assistance programs including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps or EBT) and the  Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program known as WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) are being funded, at least partially, in November as legal guidance is issued.

The majority of Risk Management Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Foreign Agricultural Service, Food and Nutrition Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistical Service, Rural Development, and Staff Office activities will cease operations during the shutdown.

Are U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owned or managed sites open?

The Little Rock District plans to keep recreation areas it owns open for public use unless funding and/or staffing are no longer available. That includes locations along the Arkansas River, Beaver Lake, Table Rock Lake, Bull Shoals, Norfork Lake, Greers Ferry, Nimrod Lake, Blue Mountain Lake and Millwood Tri-Lakes area. Campgrounds or parks managed by the state or a private company on Corps property will not have operations affected.

Is the U.S. Postal Service impacted by a shutdown?

U.S. Postal Service operations will not be interrupted in the event of a government shutdown, and all Post Offices will remain open for business as usual. USPS is an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of products and services, not tax dollars.

Impact on Sites in the Nation's Capital

• Please note that White House tours will resume in December and reservation requests can be made here. In addition, tours of the interior of U.S. Capitol – as well as the Capitol Visitor Center – will be unavailable for the duration of the shutdown, however, the House and Senate Galleries will remain open to the public.

• The Smithsonian Museums and Zoo will continue to operate through Saturday, October 11 using prior-year federal appropriation balances. If the government shutdown continues past October 11, it will close to the public and officially shut down on Sunday, October 12.

• Arlington National Cemetery will remain open, but the gift shop and restrooms, as well as the Air Force Memorial, are closed. The Library of Congress, U.S. Botanic Garden, National Archives are all closed. The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts remains open with performances and services continuing as scheduled.