Partial Government Shutdown
What You Need to Know
At 12:01 a.m. Saturday, federal funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will lapse, triggering a specific “single-department” shutdown. While this is the second funding lapse this month, it is significantly different from the shutdowns seen earlier this year and late 2025.
The Key Differences for San Diego Residents:
Most Services Are Unaffected. Unlike a total shutdown, the rest of the federal government—including the VA, Social Security, National Parks, and USDA (SNAP/WIC)—is already funded through September 30, 2026, and will remain fully operational.
Border Operations Continue. Because of H.R.1 signed last year, ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have dedicated multi-year funding. Border security and immigration enforcement will continue with minimal disruption.
Impacted Agencies. The shutdown will primarily affect the TSA, FEMA, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
What will NOT be impacted?
- Social Security & Medicare: Checks will arrive on time. Local offices and support casework will continue normally.
- Military Pay: The Department of Defense is fully funded. Service members will be paid on schedule.
- Food Assistance: SNAP (CalFresh), WIC, and school lunch programs are fully funded.
- Health Coverage: Medicaid (Medi-Cal) and Covered California will remain fully operational.
- Cash Aid: Funding for TANF (CalWORKs) was extended through December 31, 2026.
- Veterans Affairs: VA hospitals, clinics, and disability benefits are unaffected.
- National Parks & Environment: Cabrillo and other parks remain open and staffed.
- Education: Pell Grants, Student Loans, and school funding are safe.
- Indian Health Service (IHS): Received advance funding and remains fully operational.
- Immigration Enforcement (ICE/CBP): Funded by H.R.1 which was signed July 4, 2025, ICE and Customs & Border Protection will continue enforcement operations as normal. Its staff will be paid normally.
What WILL be impacted?
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the ONLY federal agency to be impacted directly.
- Air Travel: Air traffic controllers and TSA agents must work without pay. This could cause delays at airports.
- U.S. Coast Guard: Patrols continue, but active-duty members face pay delays.
- FEMA: Emergency response continues; non-urgent disaster reimbursements to the city/state are paused.
- E-Verify: The employment eligibility system will go offline at midnight.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): As a fee-funded agency, USCIS continues processing applications, but expect delays for services that require coordination with furloughed DHS staff.
- CISA & Secret Service: The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and Secret Service will be limited to “essential-only” protection and threat monitoring.