The federal government is hours away from turning off the lights, but your mail will still arrive Thursday morning and TSA agents will still be checking bags at the airport.

Why It Matters: A shutdown affects some government services immediately while others keep running. Knowing which is which helps you plan understand what’s actually at stake.

What’s Happening: If Congress doesn’t pass a funding bill by 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of federal workers will be furloughed and many government operations will pause. It’s happened 14 times since 1981, most recently during the last Trump presidency in 2018-2019 for 35 days.

What Stays Open: Essential services keep running, though many workers won’t get paid until the shutdown ends. That includes TSA screeners, air traffic c

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