Each federal agency is
required to have a plan to respond to a lapse in appropriations. These plans are often referred to as "contingency plans" or "shutdown plans."
While a lapse in appropriations is often called a “
government shutdown,” as the agency contingency plans show, it could be more accurately understood as a “temporary slowdown of nonessential government activities.” The vast majority of the federal workforce is retained and continues their work, even during a "shutdown."
Contingency Plans for Major Federal Agencies
The tables below provide an updated analysis of the most recently available contingency plans for major federal agencies, showing the employees who would be retained and non-essential employees who would be furloughed during a lapse in appropriations.
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The table below also compares the contingency plans of the Trump Administration with those of the
Biden Administration.
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The tables show 2025 contingency plans publicly available as of October 9, 2025.
“Essential” Activities May Continue Despite a Lapse in Appropriations
During a lapse in appropriations, certain essential activities can be deemed “excepted” from a shutdown. The
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provides guidance on excepted functions that may continue during a lapse in appropriations.
A government function may be carried out in the absence of appropriations if it is:
- Expressly authorized or required by another law or court order;
- Necessary to execute other lawfully continuing functions;
- Necessary to discharge the President’s Constitutional duties and powers; or
- Addressing an imminent threat to the safety of human life or the protection of property.
Furthermore,
many programs, projects, and activities will already be fully funded. As OMB guidance clarifies, “functions that are financed with appropriations that have not lapsed may continue” during a shutdown.
