WASHINGTON — Government shutdowns usually unfurl in slow motion.

They have every time in recent U.S. history, and the 2025 version looks like it will be no different as the Trump administration prepares to turn the lights off on a variety of programs and services amid a standoff over federal spending with Senate Democrats.

Without dramatic last-minute action before the start of the next fiscal year on Oct. 1, federal employees whose work doesn’t protect life or property will be told to stay away from their jobs. Museums, monuments and national parks are expected to close. Travel could be delayed and popular government websites will not be updated. Maintenance will be deferred at veteran cemeteries.

Longer term, Trump is also threatening to fire federal workers in mass and shut down entire offices - moves that he says will be "irreversible."

Here's a rundown of what happens when shuttering large parts of the U.S. government:

What happens on day one of a shutdown?

Furloughed employees generally have up to four hours on the first day of a shutdown to complete their timesheets and wrap up any pressing work, unless their agency directs them otherwise.

Federal departments historically had some discretion to borrow or reshuffle money from the previous fiscal year that they can carry over in order to continue their operations during a shutdown. But guidance sent last week by President Donald Trump's Office of Management and Budget prevents any agency from doing that without the White House's explicit permission.

Self-funded services that are not deemed essential or funded through mandatory federal spending - think of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and the U.S. Postal Service - will cease until the government reopens. Veterans’ benefits and medical treatment will also remain available but career counseling will be halted and the VA's regional offices will be closed.

“Your checks are going to continue. We will make sure of that,” Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, said from the Senate floor.

Air traffic controllers, Secret Service, TSA and FBI agents, immigration enforcement officers, prison staff, active-duty members of the military and Trump and his top aides are among the federal workers who are expected to continue working. They'll received backpay but will not receive an immediate paycheck for working through the closure.

What could be hit in the first week?

A range of government services will be impacted if the government shutdown persists into the weekend - some of them more visible than others.

In past shutdowns, trash began piling up on the National Mall and other national landmarks. Going forward, cemeteries managed by the Department of Veterans Affairs won’t receive maintenance.

“You’re going to notice an impact,” Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy said on the Senate floor.

Government websites may also not be updated and transactions placed on them delayed from processing until after a shutdown. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics, for example, says it won’t release monthly jobs numbers as planned on Oct. 4. The Bureau of Economic Analysis, which tracks the deficit, foreign trade and the U.S. GDP, will not produce data.

Guidance from the Department of Education says investigations into civil rights complaints will be paused.

The Health and Human Services Department says it will not be able to process public information request and the National Institutes of Health will not admit new patients in clinical research trials. But it said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would continue monitoring for outbreaks.

Participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants and Children program could also be affected.

“There are some short-term funds that are available to them, but a prolonged shutdown would likely affect benefits for those programs,” Caleb Quakenbush, associate director of the Bipartisan Policy Institute’s economic program said.

Broadly speaking, new contracts and federal grants may not be able to be signed except in certain circumstances. The Pentagon lists exemptions to the rule when a delay would cause imminent risk to human life, the protection of property or endanger national security.

And while air-traffic control workers and TSA agents are considered essential, they will not be paid, and some may not show up for their shifts.

The IRS says it will continue operating for five business days by using funds it was appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act.

A shut down threatens to exacerbate existing staffing shortages and lead to longer airport security lines, flight delays, and cancellations, U.S. Travel Association president Geoff Freeman told Congress in a Sept. 25 letter.

Delays could continue even after funding is restored, Freeman said, because hiring and training of new air traffic controllers will also be halted.

Longer term effects of a shutdown

Trump made history in his first term with a 35-day shutdown. No one knows how long this one will go.

The long-term effects could be biting, as scientific research projects stall and federal courts put some of their operations on hold.

Federal workers could also be hit hard, with the Trump administration threatening to fire anyone whose activities are “not consistent with the President’s priorities” once their funding lapses.

OMB made the threat in an email sent to agencies last week, and Trump hurled it at Democrats again on Sept. 30.

“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people and cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like,” Trump told reporters hours before the government was set to close.

In guidance sent by the Office of Personnel Management to agencies on Sept. 28, the White House indicated that the reduction in force notifications could begin going out before the lapse in funding begins. It said fired employees would be eligible for retroactive pay for 60 days.

OPM’s guidance also included an important caveat: once federal funds are restored, “agencies may consider revising" the notices to bring back the "minimal number of employees necessary to carry out statutory functions.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How the government shuts down and what it means for you

Reporting by Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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