Partial US Government Shutdown Begins: The third of the partial U.S. government shutdown of President Donald Trump in his second term, started Saturday, when the negotiation of immigration between the White House and congressional Democrats failed. The agencies impacted by the funding lapse under the Department of Homeland Security have to carry on with their duties without pay as the rest are furloughed.
In order to pass the funding bill Democrats had demanded restrictions on federal Immigration enforcement. Some of their conditions included that agents should take off masks, wear body cameras and seek judicial warrants before they got access to the private property, as per The Associated Press. They were also interested in banishing participation of people not yet confirmed as not citizens of the U.S. and cease search on the basis of race, language, accent, or profession. Without striking a deal, lawmakers went on a 10-day recess out of Washington.
Which Agencies Are Impacted Due To The Government Shutdown?
The Department of Homeland Security has a plan of the lapse of their funding in September 2025 that the majority of the employees will be exempt, and they will be obliged to work during the shutdown. They will not be paid in the course of the shutdown, but then they are assured of the back pay on the completion of the shutdown.
Most of the over 270,000 employees in the department are defined as essential and therefore they keep working in case of a shutdown. In November, when the government shutdown hit, over 258,000 DHS employees were in that category, and about 22,000 about 5 percent of the department employees were in furlough, according to the AP.
Here’s Who’s Affected
Department of Defense: Non essential civilian employees put on furlough (military members remain paid through special provisions).
Department of State: A large number of consular and administrative employees can be furloughed.
Department of Transportation: Components that are dependent on an annual appropriation can be impacted.
Department of Health and Human Services: Part of the programs stalled or stalled.
Which Agencies Are Unaffected?
U.S. Postal Service: During government shutdown, operations will run normally and the post offices will also be operating. Since the Postal Service is a separate institution whose operations are supported by the sale of its products and services and not the taxpayers, the closure will not impact its operations.
Social Security and Medicare: Benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare are mandatory benefits which are not subject to annual appropriations and therefore benefits are paid.
Air travel: Air traffic controllers are financed by the department of transportation whose budget on the same has already been approved and therefore their operations will not be affected.
The Transportation Security Administration though, is under the DHS which implies that the TSA workers will be forced to work without their salaries in the event of the shutdown. In case it becomes prolonged, it might impact the staffing levels at TSA and airport security that might result in more time spent by travelers at security checkpoints.
Will Tax Refunds Be Impacted Through A Government Shutdown?
Probably not, not at the start. According to the Internal Revenue Service, it is still carrying on with the shutdown. According to the agency, the Inflation Reduction Act is covering employee pay.
Jackson Hewitt Tax Services says that in previous instances of government shutdown, the Internal Revenue Service has not closed, although it has never been shut down during the tax-filing period.
Any delays in the tax refund season would be determined by the number of IRS employees furloughed in case of the ongoing shutdown. In the record-breaking shutdown that occurred last fall, the IRS initially asked all employees to resume working again and then furloughed over 34,000 employees approximately a week later into the shutdown.
The tax payment dates remain the same even during the government shutdown and individuals are expected to submit the returns on time even in a situation where the government shuts down. The taxpayers are advised to file as quickly as possible and use direct deposit so as to get faster refunds.
What Was The Most Extended Government Shutdown?
The most recent and prolonged government shutdown commenced on the 1st of October, 2025, when both houses of Congress were unable to pass appropriations bills to cover the new fiscal year. The shutdown was 43 days long and ended Nov. 12, when Trump signed a funding bill.