If you listen to the clamor all across the US media apparatus, they treat a looming shutdown of the federal government as something akin to the planet running out of breathable air. The sky is falling, the seas giving up their dead, cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria.

In truth, a federal government shutdown is not that bad, but make no mistake: it can cause problems for you, and bigger problems for the rest of society the longer it goes on.

This is one of those things that conservative folks might cheer on and with good reason, but you’ve got to be prepared for the consequences.

Considering the nuance and complexities inherent to the consequences of a federal government shutdown, I’m bringing you a guide that will tell you what to expect, what will happen, who will be impacted, and what you can do about it…

What Causes Government Shutdowns?

Lots of things. It’s easy to chalk up a shutdown simply to political saber-rattling and brinkmanship, but there are a whole lot of factors that could directly or indirectly trigger a shutdown.

Broadly, any major disagreement between the president and Congress or between the House of Representatives and the Senate concerning spending or even the prioritization of the budget can lead to a stalemate regarding the passage of the needed appropriation bills to fund the annual budget cycle.

The only other workaround is a continuing resolution, which is by design a temporary funding measure. If the appropriations bills don’t get passed and there’s no continuing resolution, the shutdown occurs.

Of course, we’ve all seen the spectacular fights that do occur up on Capitol Hill over issues like defense spending, healthcare, entitlements, immigration, and the countless unseen and increasingly unread policy riders on bills that can cause opposition to throw down the gauntlet and dig in their heels.

All of this is compounded, and worsened, by public pressure, lobbyists, and internal hardball negotiation tactics.

In short, I guess it’s a miracle that the federal government doesn’t shut down more often!

What are the Consequences?

The consequences of a shutdown are widespread and many, with some taking effect immediately and others taking time to be felt or noticed by the public.

The most important ones that you need to know about, but hardly all, are below:

Some Services and Institutions Will Slow, Others Will Close

Any federally run or federally supported service or institution could be at risk of reduced output or functionality if not outright closure if its funding is discretionary and not guaranteed or mandated by law.

This means that you’ll have to wait longer for appointments or responses, issuance or replacement of documents, the cutting of checks, and so forth.

Note that institutions and services like the Transportation Safety Administration, Border Patrol, and many others are considered essential and will continue to function more or less at full capacity, even if second- and third-order effects impact their efficiency.

Businesses Relying on Federal Gov Contracts Might Not Be Paid

A major concern for private sector businesses that do work or provide goods or services to the federal government is the fact that their contracts, even if still enforceable, might not be paid on time or at all for the duration of the shutdown.

It could be something as simple as the supplying of material goods or as intricate as providing supporting services for the military or other federal law enforcement agencies.

If you are in one of these sectors, you’ll have to be especially cautious. More on that later.

Federal Employees Will Be Furloughed

Many federal employees will be furloughed, essentially meaning they are being forced to take time away from work. And if they aren’t working, they aren’t going to be paid as a rule.

If you work directly for the government, even doing a menial job like data entry, janitorial services, or something else, if there is a shutdown your income will be directly threatened.

Essential Federal Employees Will Have to Work Without Pay!

On the other hand, those essential agencies mentioned above will have a certain percentage of essential employees, meaning that they are so important they aren’t allowed to be furloughed.

Good for them, right? Not hardly. They have to go right on working, but do so without pay!

This is a double whammy that will contractually prevent these poor people from seeking other gainful employment while they slide closer and closer to financial crisis.

At the same time, rates of malicious compliance and other workplace saboteur activity tend to increase in these environments.

Disruption of Veterans’ Services

One of the most worrisome and tragic impacts brought on by a federal government shutdown is the disruption of veterans’ services.

For our brave service men and women that are depending on the VA for medical care or anything else, that service might be greatly slowed, diminished, or even halted entirely for the duration.

This, obviously, can lead to significant stress and hardship in many different ways.

Passport and Visa Processing Might Slow or Halt

A particular concern for citizens who need to travel for work, play, or in response to a deteriorating situation on the home front, the issuance, processing, and approval of passports and visas might be greatly slowed or even halted entirely during the shutdown.

If your major bug-out plan is to flee the US entirely when things get too bad, you better make sure you have your I’s dotted and T’s crossed well ahead of time.

Reduced Enforcement and Inspection at Federal Level

The federal government loves nothing more than to enforce its laws at its pleasure, and also ensure compliance through countless agencies and organizations that perform inspections on everything from transportation and manufacturing to food production and more.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) pretty much all of these agencies will be impacted at least partially.

That means that enforcement of certain laws by certain components of the federal apparatus will be slowed or even temporarily suspended depending on their importance…

Inspections, generally, will be greatly slowed or even halted entirely based on previous shutdowns.

Sure, hooray, but consider that bad actors and certain accidents might increase because of this laxity.

Reduction or Cessation of Entitlement Programs

A tremendous concern to people who are poor, financially threatened, or live near either population segment is the fact that entitlement programs are likely to be severely impacted by the shutdown.

For starters, you can count on Section 8 housing vouchers being delayed or in some cases, not issued at all whether or not there is funding already guaranteed for them. This can threaten people with eviction or foreclosure.

Likewise, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP will certainly face delays or stoppages, meaning that some people are going to be going hungry unless they resort to alternative means of getting dinner…

More than almost anything else, this will lead to pandemonium in some areas, and you’ll have to plan accordingly for it.

Economic Turmoil

When the federal government shuts down, it is seen as something of a black eye concerning their competency and the overall stability of the United States.

Naturally, this causes economic uncertainty which will infect markets, banking, investments, home sales, and everything else.

The longer this goes on, typically the worse things get, and this can result in the cooling of the economy, and eventual flatlining, and potentially a recession.

Societal Stress

Take everything we talked about above, put it all together in a blender, and what do you get? A huge amount of societal stress.

Dominoes will start falling, small ones at first but they will turn into bigger ones and fall faster and faster all the time. Even if you and everyone you know is not a government employee, the economic consequences alone will cause issues.

Some of your own friends and family members might be facing financial catastrophe because they aren’t getting paid, or worse are being forced to work without pay.

Or, if they get government contracts, their number one customer basically evaporates overnight.

When this sort of thing starts happening everywhere and the institutions that make society go stop working or barely work at all, the result is friction and a lot of it. That will result in tempers flaring and, eventually, violence.

Will Social Security Payments Be Delayed?

Surprisingly enough, no. Or at least, they really shouldn’t be…

The social security program is what is known as a mandatory spending program.

This program is not subject to funding under annual appropriations because its funding is already mandated by other laws, and the funding comes from employees and employers that have to pay their “fair” share. I hope you noticed my bunny ears quotes on fair…

Accordingly, the Social Security Administration will still be, more or less, in full operation and has contingency planning for federal government shutdowns.

Checks will still go out, people can still apply for benefits as soon as they are eligible, you’ll be able to get appointments at all SSA offices, get new or replacement social security cards, and a lot more as normal.

However, even the SSA has some non-essential services and employees that will affect what you can do. For instance, you won’t be able to get verification services done that are sometimes needed for loans, mortgages, and other government benefits.

Will a Government Shutdown Affect Medicare?

No, because Medicare is basically provided under social security. You’ll be able to get service, appointments, and treatment as normal, but do consider that many Medicare center and service provider employees will be furloughed, greatly slowing down all processes.

If you need to pay for health care and are expecting a Medicare reimbursement, you should definitely expect that reimbursement to be slowed down.

Likewise, if you lose your Medicare card you won’t be able to get a replacement card issued during a shutdown.

Who Will Be Affected Most

For some of us preppers, we’re already used to taking care of darn near everything in our lives, a federal government shutdown might not affect us at all.

That said, if you fit into any of the following categories you should definitely make the possibility of a shutdown a component in your usual planning because it will certainly impact your life and the life of your family:

Federal Employees

No surprise here. If you are a federal employee a shutdown could mean a sudden and lasting loss of income.

If you’re deemed essential, you’ll have to go right on working without pay. That, naturally, will eat up a lot of hours in your day that could be spent looking for other gainful employment.

Try to get clear on whether or not you’ll be furloughed should a shutdown occur and under what circumstances.

Likewise, try to get a commitment from your supervisors as to whether or not your organization or agency is essential, and if so, what percentage or what grades of employees are likewise essential.

Businesses Which Rely on Federal Contracts or Other Business

If you own a private sector business, or just work in one, that relies on federal contracts of any kind a shutdown is very likely to impact revenues.

This may have consequences resulting in reduced hours or even outright firing so company owners and shareholders can make ends meet.

You can better prepare for this contingency by talking with management about your concerns ahead of time well before the possibility of a shutdown is even on the horizon.

Employees and Businesses Dependent on Government Oversight

If you’re in any sector that requires government oversight for continuance or initiation of operations, you should expect some significant delays if not outright bottlenecks.

If you’re the one making the call on starting a job, now you’ll really be in a pickle: do you start the job without the sign-off, even if you were following all other regulations to the letter?

If you do, what are the potential consequences when the government inevitably, hopefully, starts back up again? They aren’t the forgiving or the forgetting sort…

People Living Near Highly Impacted Populations

Sad to say, but if you live near a large concentration of folks that are dependent on Section 8 housing assistance or supplemental food programs, you’ll be living near a whole lot of pissed off, scared, and irrational people pretty soon.

An old saying goes that society is only three missed meals away from anarchy, and I’m a big believer in that. Once folks can’t open up the mailbox and get that check or swipe the card to get their food anymore, there’s no telling what they’ll do.

Theft and pillaging always occur in times of trouble, and this could be major trouble indeed.

Prepping for the Government Shutdown

So we know exactly why a government shutdown might occur, what it will do, and who will be severely impacted.

Whether or not you fit into that latter category, the resulting strain on society might put you, your family, and your holdings in danger.

Make sure you do the following to be ready for a government shutdown no matter when it occurs and how long it lasts:

Save Money

Economic instability is the most universal risk that the US will incur during a Fed shutdown. One of the best ways to cope with this uncertainty is to have a nest egg.

If you haven’t saved money for a rainy day, and kept it instantly accessible should you need it, you haven’t been paying attention.

A good benchmark to strive for is one month’s expenses for your current standard of living, and I mean everything. You can tighten your belt to extend that if required when under the gun. Then strive for 2 months, then 3, then 6, and so on.

If Your Income Depends on the Government, Diversify Revenue Streams Now

If you’ve got a nice government job, or you depend on government contracts for the majority of your business, when the money is flowing it might seem like the good times never end.

But a shutdown and the attendant shake-up in the aftermath might bring all of that crashing down around you and that’s a sick feeling.

If possible, diversify now. Have a skillset or freelancing opportunities that you can immediately turn to if you get furloughed. Don’t neglect other customers, even marginal ones, while you service your main government contract.

It might make for a lean Christmas at the end of the year, but staying solvent and staying in business is a whole lot better than winding up in the poor house or shuttering your operation.

Increase Self-Sufficiency

The prepper’s guiding principle. Try to become self-sufficient in all things that matter. Learn how to grow your own food, learn how to take care of things without going through official channels.

Don’t be dependent on goods and services arriving on time. Stock up ahead of time. Be frugal. Be crafty. Be adaptable.

The more comfortable you are at dealing with different stressors, the better off you will be when society starts to fray at the edges during the shutdown.

The good news is we have absolutely everything you could possibly need to know in that regard right here on Survival Sullivan. If you haven’t gotten started, it’s not too late!

Be a Member of an Actual Community

When times are tough, people need to draw together. But acquaintances and happy hour buddies aren’t going to get things done when the pressure is really on. You need to be part of an actual community and actually have skin in the game.

People need to know they can turn to you to solve their problems, and in kind, you must know you can turn to them to solve your own. Do you have a good relationship with a cash-pay doctor? How about a farmer that raises beef cattle for slaughter?

Do you know all of the families and especially the dads and young men in your neighborhood in case a round-the-clock neighborhood watch is called for during times of trouble? Are you friendly with police officers and sheriff’s deputies in your town?

A real community can weather nearly any storm, and certainly some far-away crisis that is bringing Capitol Hill and the leviathan that’s the federal government to a grinding halt.

Stay Alert for Threats to Life and Property

If a government shutdown goes on for any longer than a few days, people are going to start getting stressed, various law enforcement apparatuses are going to start slowing down, and crime is going to start going up, up, up.

If you live in a town with like-minded people that belong to the same culture and have mutually high trust all around, you probably won’t have to worry about too much except keeping alert for outsiders and troublemakers.

If you live in a, let’s say, metropolitan area you must be on guard for personal and property crime.

Some reprobates will always test the fence, in a manner of speaking, just because they think they can get away with it. Others will be desperate for food or money and might resort to thievery or robbery to get it…

Depending on your living situation, personal and property security might become a high priority.

Be Ready to Bug Out from Urban Areas

As ever, a mass outbreak of crime when societal stress is already high could result in urban areas experiencing total bedlam.

If you live in the city, or even on the fringes of the city, be prepared to bug out on 30 minutes’ notice. Bug out bags packed, vehicle kept serviced and full of gas, routes planned and checked, family emergency plan rehearsed.

It wouldn’t be the first time that tough times saw a city burned down for the trouble…

Have Contingency Plans for All Federally Provided Goods and Services

If you or anyone you care about is dependent in any way on federally provided goods or services, like grants, medical care, income, or anything else, make sure you take that into account in your planning.

This might be something as simple as grandma needing someone to stay with her while she waits around all day at the doctor for her Medicare appointment.

Your friend or brother might not get a check that they desperately need to keep their place, and you might have to swoop in to help them with some cash.

There are a hundred different scenarios that fall under this. Take stock of your own life, and the lives of your people, and either talk about it with them so that they can prepare, or prepare in their stead so you can help them.

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