Update 11/15/2023: Congress appears to be on track to avoid a government shutdown on Saturday after the House voted on a “two-tiered” stopgap funding measure Tuesday.

The Senate is expected to vote in favor of the measure, which would fund some federal departments through Jan. 19 and remaining departments through early February.

Update 11/14/2023: The federal government could shut down this Saturday, Nov. 18, just weeks after a shutdown was averted in September with a short-term spending bill. That funding runs out this weekend.

The House of Representatives is set to vote on a “two-tiered” stopgap funding measure put forward by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday which, if passed, would fund some government departments through Jan. 19 and remaining departments through early February.

House Republicans are divided on the bill, which doesn’t bode well for keeping the government open unless it gets Democratic support. If the House votes in favor, the bill is likely to clear the Senate.

If Congress fails to agree on a funding plan by the end of this week, it would have a huge impact on federal workers and contractors, including the approximately 370,000 federal employees who live in the D.C. region. The shutdown would affect other D.C. residents too, though perhaps on a less drastic scale.

We compiled the explainer below in September on what a shutdown would mean for the region, including information about what will stay open and what will close.

In terms of what will be different this time around, the Smithsonian museums had enough residual funding in September to stay open temporarily beyond the shutdown date. A spokesperson told DCist/WAMU Tuesday they don’t yet know whether the museums and zoo will close immediately or not. (Note that this time, if the Smithsonians close throughout the shutdown, you’ll be missing ZooLights. And whatever happens, you won’t get to see the pandas).

This post will be updated as more information on closures during a possible shutdown becomes available.

Original:  Due to some seemingly unresolvable disputes at the Capitol Hill Clown Convention otherwise known as Congress, it’s looking increasingly likely that the U.S. government is going to run out of money on Sept. 30 without passing a spending bill to keep the lights on (surely a sign of a healthy and functional federal system).

A shutdown would unleash myriad disruptions across the U.S., shuttering several government services and furloughing thousands of workers. The D.C. area is home to the most federal workers in the country; estimates show more than roughly 160,000 people work for the federal government in D.C. While non-essential federal workers and contractors would simply stay home, positions deemed “essential” would be required to work without pay. (Non-contract workers would receive back pay when the government is up and running again).

If you want to know more about the politics of the possible shutdown and the exact points of disagreement between Democrats and Republicans, here are some helpful resources. But for our purposes, here’s what you need to know about the effects of a shutdown in D.C., where our non-statehood status and close relationship with the federal government make this moment particularly troubling.

Will basic city services like trash pickup, parking enforcement, and mail delivery continue?

Yes, yes, yes. Your trash will get picked up at its normal time, you will be ticketed if you park illegally, and your mail will arrive every day.

The city’s day-to-day operations, run by agencies like the Department of Public Works or the Department of Motor Vehicles, will remain undisrupted. Recreation centers, libraries, buses, the Metro, will all be open.

This wasn’t always the case. When the government shut down in 1995, all libraries in the city closed, garbage collection paused, and without city employees on the job, some intersections had malfunctioning traffic lights for days. That changed with the 2013 shutdown, when then-mayor, now Ward 7 Councilmember Vince Gray declared the entirety of D.C.’s government to be “essential,” – exempting all city government operations from a shutdown. In the years since 2013, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has included a provision in the D.C. appropriations bill that exempts the D.C. government from shutting down alongside the feds.

What about courts and trials?

The D.C. Superior Court and the D.C. Court of Appeals – local D.C. courts that are funded by Congress – will continue functioning on a limited basis with a smaller number of employees, in order to carry out essential services and resolve cases. Chief judges, associate judges, magistrate judges, clerks, court reporters, among others, will all be working. Nearly all divisions will continue operating, like civil, criminal, and family courts, as well as juvenile probation services, for up to five days of a shutdown, per the courts’ latest shutdown policy. (After five days, operations may be reassessed.)

So if you’re scheduled for jury duty and the government shuts down, you’ll still likely have to show up.

Similarly, law enforcement officers (D.C. cops as well as feds like the FBI and Secret Service) will still be working, as will the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. — the federal prosecutor that handles most of D.C.’s serious adult crimes.

The Justice Department, which oversees U.S. attorneys, did not comment on their plans for the current shutdown yet, but according to the DOJ’s Fiscal Year 2022 shutdown plan (yes, apparently we all have to routinely plan for completely avoidable shutdowns of the national government), U.S. Attorneys are not subject to furlough. Criminal litigation will proceed as normal, while civil litigation may be “curtailed or postponed” to the extent that it does not compromise human life, safety, or the protection of property.

Last time around, I remember D.C. residents couldn’t get married for a couple weeks. What’s the plan for marriage licenses?

Unfortunately, the courts do not consider your D.C. nuptials an essential service necessary to upholding justice. According to the courts’ most recent shutdown plan, updated in August 2023, marriage licenses and performing marriage ceremonies will cease during the lapse.

The same thing happened when the government shut down in 2019, and the D.C. Council, at the request of Mayor Muriel Bowser, passed emergency legislation giving her the power to authorize marriage licenses. (It was called the LOVE Act – very sweet.) But that legislation was only temporary, meaning the council would need to pass a new bill this go around. DCist/WAMU has reached out to the mayor’s office as well as the council to see if they’re going to intervene to ensure Washingtonians can tie the knot, but we haven’t heard anything definitive yet.

And, if you’re wondering about divorce (happy for you/sorry that happened) — yes, you can still file for divorce. That falls under family court, which will remain operational.

Can I be evicted? 

Even while the government can’t pay its own bills, it sure will invest time and money into enforcing penalties for other people with that problem. In D.C., the U.S. Marshals Service — a federal agency — is responsible for executing eviction notices issued by D.C. Superior Court judges. (In other jurisdictions, evictions are typically carried out by the local sheriff or other local law enforcement agency.)

According to a spokesperson for the D.C. courts, landlord and tenant courts will remain operational, and per the Justice Department’s shutdown guidelines, U.S. Marshals are considered essential.

Will the Smithsonians be closed? What about other local museums and attractions?

If the government shuts down, the Smithsonians will stay open, at least temporarily, a spokesperson told DCist/WAMU. As in years past, they will use unexpired appropriations and unused “prior-year” funds. When those run out, the museums will close — which has also happened in past shutdowns.

If prior-year funds are exhausted, only essential employees (like those tending to the animals at the National Zoo) would be working. Curiously, operating the treasured Panda Cam is not considered essential during a shutdown, although some fanatics would beg to differ.

Devastatingly, an extended shutdown could cut short the time residents have left with the Zoo’s pandas before they leave for China in December. On the bright side, Panda Palooza ends on Oct. 1, so you still have time to get in your panda fill this week.

However, there are still plenty of other independent museums to visit. In the deeply unfortunate case that the shutdown is still going on in late October, you won’t have to cancel plans to visit the National Museum of Women in the Arts when it reopens Oct. 21. You can also visit the National Building Museum (which will provide free entry to federal workers who bring a staff ID during a shutdown), the Phillips Collection, the International Spy Museum, and the Hillwood Estate, Museums & Gardens.

The new Museum of Failure (apt) is also open through early December.

As far as other attractions go, the National Arboretum will be closed. The Botanic Gardens hasn’t confirmed yet to DCist/WAMU whether it will close – it has closed in previous shutdowns

The Library of Congress will also be closed to the public and researchers.

How will the shutdown affect National Parks and the National Mall?

According to the National Park Service’s contingency plan for this year, if the government shuts down on Oct. 1, NPS will use left-over appropriations from the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act for 24 hours. Starting on Monday, Oct. 2, NPS says “sites will generally be closed,” but certain areas where it’s virtually impossible to restrict public access (for example, roads and trails in Rock Creek Park or open-air memorials like the National Mall) will remain accessible. A limited number of NPS staff will be working to maintain critical health, safety, or protection services at these locations.

During the last shutdown, the Mall remained open, but you might expect to see more trash and litter, and the bathrooms may be closed due to the limited staffing. In previous shutdowns, the District has lent its own Department of Public Works crews to help clean up the mall and other federal property – generosity that cost the city about $100,000 a week at the time. In a statement to DCist/WAMU regarding the upcoming potential shutdown, City Administrator Kevin Donahue said that the city is again “prepared to help the National Park Service ensure there is trash collection on the National Mall.”

Will local music venues be affected? 

The Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap remain open during government shutdowns, but certain park-related amenities may not be available.

What about funerals in national cemeteries? 

Burials and funerals will continue at Arlington National Cemetery, which is maintained by the U.S. Army. Tours will continue and visitors can still use the parking garage. However, the cemetery told DCist/WAMU that if the shutdown continues for an extended time, it may have to cut back on certain services (to be determined) in order to prioritize burials.

I’m a federal worker, or I’m employed at a federal building that will not be open. Can I file for unemployment with the city?

Federal workers who are furloughed without pay or those “essential” employees who have to show up to work without pay typically receive back payments from the government. Lower-wage workers and contractors do not – and some may be laid off. D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has asked the White House to step in and prove these workers back pay as well.

If the government shuts down, federal workers who are furloughed may apply for unemployment in the state where they work, meaning lots of employees will be visiting D.C.’s or Virginia’s unemployment websites. Eligibility requirements may differ depending on the unemployment parameters of a state’s agency. Employees who work in D.C. will be eligible to file for unemployment on the first day the government shuts down.

How will federal assistance programs, like SNAP or WIC be impacted? 

A shutdown could have an immediate impact on D.C. residents who rely on WIC, or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Earlier this week, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said that a “vast majority” of the 7 million people receiving those benefits would see an immediate reduction in payment if the government shut down. If the federal dollars for WIC run out, D.C., Virginia, or Maryland, may be able to fill the gap by using left-over WIC funds.

Meanwhile, SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, benefits would continue normally through October, but Vilsack said they may be affected if the shutdown lasts over a month.

What is this costing D.C. taxpayers? 

It depends on how long the shutdown lasts. The 2018-2019 shutdown, which lasted 35 days, cost D.C. $47.4 million in lost revenue. Also, in addition to cleaning up the federal government’s mess (literally) on the Mall, the city spent $9 million on a mortgage loan program to assist federal furloughed workers that year.

More broadly, a sustained government shutdown would be a blow to the city’s business and tourism economy. With museums and the zoo closed and downtown offices vacated, local businesses would see a big drop in sales.

This story was updated to include more detailed information about Smithsonian and National Park Service shutdown plans