Government Shutdown Updates
Last Updated 10/1
For the first time since 2018/2019, the federal government has shut down. While many shutdowns last only hours or days, many are saying this shutdown could stretch for weeks. The longer a shutdown lasts, the larger the impacts will be for organizations and communities in Maine.
MANP will be updating this blog post regularly to keep our members and our community up to date. We recommend bookmarking it and checking back.
What Nonprofits Need to Know About the Government Shutdown and Current Federal Grant Landscape
Monday, October 6th at 3:00 pm ET
REGISTER
Please note, this webinar was previously going to be about federal grants; the topic has been updated.
Take Action
The only way to end the government shutdown is for Congress and the White House to reach a bipartisan agreement to reopen the government and allow nonprofits to continue their essential work.
Nonprofits can take action in two ways:
- Share Your Story: Use this storytelling tool to share real examples of how the government shutdown is harming nonprofits and their communities. Sharing these stories is one of the most effective ways to make your voice heard.
- Contact Your Members of Congress. Use NCN's email template to send a message directly to your Senators and Representatives, urging them to work across the aisle to reopen the government.
Impacts on Funding
Mandatory programs - including Social Security, Medicare benefits, and VA medical care - are not directly impacted by the shutdown, but associated services could stop during a shutdown.
Some federal programs will be harmed shortly after the shutdown begins, including:
- Women, Infants and Children (WIC). WIC, a signature nutrition program that serves 6.5 million low-income moms and babies, could run out within days.
- FEMA Disaster Relief Fund. While FEMA staff are considered "essential" and will remain working, the main funding source for FEMA, the Disaster Relief Fund, is running dangerously low and needs congressional approval for additional funds.
Federal agencies have published their contingency plans, outlining which functions will remain open (and which will close) during the shutdown. Additional plans can be found here. Not every agency has published contingency plans.
- Department of State (DOS): DOS-Lapse-Guidance-updated-29-September-2025.pdf
- Department of the Treasury/IRS:Treasury_IRS_Lapse_Plan.pdf
- Department of Defense (DOD):Contingency Plan Guidance for Continuation of Operations in the Absence of Appropriations
- Department of Justice (DOJ): U.S. Department of Justice FY 2026 Contingency Plan
- Department of the Interior (DOI): Bureau of Reclamation Contingency Plan
- Department of Agriculture (USDA): https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fy2026-usda-lapse-plan.pdf
- Department of Commerce: DOC Contingency Plan
- Department of Labor (DOL): dol-contingency-plan.pdf
- Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): FY 2026 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan | HHS.gov
- Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PA/documents/HUD-Lapse-Plan.pdf
- Department of Transportation (DOT) - DOT_Shutdown_Plan_9.30.25.pdf
- Department of Energy (DOE): https://www.ed.gov/media/document/us-department-of-education-contingency-plan-lapse-fiscal-year-fy-2026-appropriations-112431.pdf
- Department of Education (ED): us-department-of-education-contingency-plan-lapse-fiscal-year-fy-2026-appropriations-112431.pdf
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): Human Capital Contingency Plan - VA Contingency Planning
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS): DHS Procedures Related to a Lapse in Appropriations (Updated September 2025)
- FDA: Food and Drug Administration | HHS.gov
- FTC: Shutdown of Federal Trade Commission Operations Upon Failure of the Congress to Enact Appropriations
- NASA: NASA Guidance - NASA
Hill Updates
At this time, there is no sign that congressional leaders and the White House are ready to move toward a compromise. Instead, both parties plan to hold multiple press events today to drive home their message. The House remains out on recess this week, but it will return next week. The Senate, meanwhile, plans to return to D.C. on Friday and Saturday for additional votes on short-term spending measures to reopen the government.
- Two labor unions representing federal workers and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), asking a federal judge to stop the Administration from using the government shutdown to lay off federal workers. We have heard that some federal workers have already received termination notices.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that "pain will be inflicted" during the shutdown, and shortly after, the Administration announced it froze federal infrastructure funds intended for Senate Democratic Leader Schumer's and House Democratic Leader Jeffries's district.
Congress is no closer to finding a compromise. The Senate is scheduled to vote today - and has scheduled a second vote on Wednesday after the shutdown has begun - on the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government open through November 21. Both measures are expected to fail, largely on party line votes. Both sides blame the other for the forthcoming shutdown.
The White House has doubled down on its threat to permanently fire federal workers in the event of a shutdown. President Trump warned that such firings would be "irreversible."
Additional Resources
- Free Webinar: Federal Actions + Insights: What's the Latest? Join MANP to hear updates about the shutdown and its impacts, as well as several updates about proposed and incoming changes from federal policymaking
- Press Statement: National Coucil of Nonprofits issued a press statement on 9/30, warning about the negative impact a shutdown will have on nonprofits and their ability to provide essential services to the American people.
- Checklist: NCN created this one-pager to help nonprofits understand how to prepare for a government shutdown.
- News Articles:
- What we know and don't yet know about how the government shutdown affects Maine (Bangor Daily News 10/1/2025)
- Why this federal shutdown could be different for Maine (Portland Press Herald 10/1/2025)
- Here's how a government shutdown will impact Maine (Maine Public 9/30/2025)