Federal agencies detail impacts of government shutdown with deadline fast approaching

Washington — More than 1.3 million active-duty military members and thousands of air traffic controllers and TSA agents will have to work without pay during a government shutdown, a prospect that looks increasingly likely with Congress running out of time to approve new funding.

Both the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said a lapse in funding would severely hamper key government functions and could cause lengthy delays at airports. The White House has warned that active-duty service members could have their pay delayed in the event of a shutdown, even if it lasts just a few days.

The Defense Department was not subject to the last shutdown in 2018 and 2019, since Congress passed and President Trump signed the Defense Appropriations Act two days before the end of the fiscal year. In 2013, Congress passed a one-off law just before the shutdown that ensured service members would be paid. Some lawmakers have introduced legislation to pay the military in the event of a shutdown now, but the clock is ticking ahead of the Oct. 1 deadline.