US Government Shutdown: What It Means for Jobs, Travel, and National Parks

Mon Oct 20 2025 18:34:19 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The US federal government has shut down following a budget stalemate between lawmakers, leading to potential disruptions in various sectors including air travel, federal jobs, and access to national parks.

With the US government in shutdown, approximately 750,000 federal workers face unpaid leave, impacting services across the nation. Key areas affected include air travel, national parks, federal employee wages, and healthcare programs for the elderly and poor. This shutdown could lead to long delays at airports, closures of national parks, and interruptions in crucial services.

The US federal government has shut down after Republican and Democratic lawmakers failed to resolve a budget stand-off.

The impasse affects the funding of government operations throughout October and beyond, and is poised to cause widespread disruption for Americans in areas ranging from air travel to zoo visits.

The political gridlock is also expected to put 40% of the federal workforce – about 750,000 people – on unpaid leave.

This is how its impact could be felt across the US.

Your next flight

A federal shutdown could hit flyers in a variety of ways, potentially leading to long security queues and delays caused by unpaid air traffic controllers choosing to stay home rather than work for free.

Air traffic control and Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) workers are considered essential, so they will continue to go to work.

But they will not be paid until the shutdown ends. Last time this happened, many workers began calling in sick, leading to delays that rippled across the country.

Americans planning to travel abroad could also be affected, with US passport agencies warning that processing travel documents may take longer than usual.

No work - or pay - for federal workers

Federal employees are expected to be hardest hit, as they will not receive any paychecks while the shutdown continues.

While law enforcement officers will continue working—more than 200,000 of them unpaid—many other federal employees will be furloughed.

Among the departments with the most furloughed staff are the Department of Defense and the Department of Health, among others. Many may seek second jobs to cope with the loss of income. Previous shutdowns paid these employees retroactively, but contractors typically do not receive compensation.

National Parks with no staff

Past shutdowns have seen federal lands like National Parks closed, as employees were asked to stay home.

During the last shutdown, parks were left open but saw significant vandalism due to the absence of staff. Former park superintendents have urged for a complete closure in event of another shutdown.

Visit to the zoo

Smithsonian museums will remain open but will run on reserve funds. Animals at the National Zoo will continue to be fed, but popular webcams monitoring animal behavior will be turned off.

Healthcare for the elderly and poor

Medicare and Medicaid will continue despite potential staff shortages leading to interruptions. However, food assistance programs are likely to run low on funding quickly.