At a Glance

• Unless Congress agrees to a spending plan before midnight on Tuesday, September 30, much of the federal government will shut down.
• This ASAP discusses how a shutdown would impact labor and employment agency operations.

Federal appropriations are set to expire at midnight (ET) on Tuesday, September 30. Unless lawmakers agree to a spending plan before then, much of the federal government will shut down. And most federal agencies will stop all but their most essential operations:

• Many agencies will stop processing charges and investigations.
• Most of them will cancel hearings and reschedule them when the government reopens.
• Most will shutter their public-information offices, making it difficult if not impossible for employers to get updates about their cases or other agency activities.
• Many agencies will close their regulatory groups, delaying any new rules, guidance, or regulations.

Below, we break down these effects agency by agency. But the most important thing for employers to know is that, if the government shuts down, they can and should expect delays in everything from case processing to business travel. Moreover, many agencies have not yet updated their shutdown contingency plans; the information below is derived from the most recent plan available. Finally, it is unclear whether the White House will carry out its threat not merely to furlough non-essential personnel (meaning they would return to work when the government ultimately reopens) but instead...

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