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Explore how the FY2026 federal government shutdown is disrupting county services nationwide, and access tools, data, and advocacy resources to help counties sustain essential programs and share their local impacts with Congress.
Update | Nov. 12, 2025
Congress votes to end longest federal government shutdown in history
On Nov. 12, the president signed into law a Continuing Resolution and funding package (CR) to end the shutdown of the federal government that began Oct. 1. The CR, which passed out of the U.S. Senate on Nov. 10 and the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 12, includes full year Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding for three of the twelve appropriations bills, and provides extensions of key agriculture, health, and other programs that expired at the end of FY 2025.
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How We Got Here
Congress has not enacted appropriations for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, resulting in a shutdown of the federal government. Essential services continue to operate, but many federal programs counties administer or rely on — including nutrition, health, and emergency response programs — are facing funding disruptions or staffing shortages.
Counties are on the frontlines of service delivery. When federal funding stops, counties must often use our own local resources to keep essential programs running, including public health, social services, and emergency management — with uncertainty about when or if federal reimbursements will be made once the government reopens.
Key Impacts on Counties
This section provides a high-level summary of affected programs and systems, with links to deeper NACo analysis.
- FEMA: While FEMA can continue to obligate and spend funds from the Disaster Relief Fund, counties should anticipate delays in reimbursement for ongoing or pending projects, particularly those tied to longer-term recovery and mitigation.
- Public Safety: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is unable to process new grant applications during the shutdown, creating fiscal uncertainty for counties working to sustain critical emergency management and public safety services.
- Forest Service: Limited staffing and suspended non-essential operations within the U.S. Forest Service may hinder wildfire response coordination, prevention efforts, and forest health programs.
- Cybersecurity: The State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program expired on September 30, 2025, resulting in a lapse in new federal resources for counties to strengthen cyber resilience and protect local infrastructure.
- Special Supplement Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Funding was expected to lapse in October; however, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reallocated $300 million from the Child Nutrition budget account, allowing operations to continue through approximately November 1. On October 24, NACo, along with 44 other national organizations, signed on to a letter to the White House calling for additional emergency funding. Without additional action from USDA or Congress, states and counties administering WIC will face benefit interruptions thereafter.
- SNAP: On October 10, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) indicated that current appropriations are insufficient to cover full November benefits and directed states to pause processing November issuances pending further guidance. Although a SNAP contingency fund exists, it is estimated to contain about $6 billion, which is less than the roughly $8 billion needed to cover one month of SNAP benefits. On October 24, FNS released a memo stating that they will not use the SNAP contingency fund towards November benefits. If the government shutdown continues beyond November 1, counties will experience program disruptions and increased demand on other local food assistance resources. For the latest, read NACo's blog on actions taken around SNAP in November.
- Community Health Centers: Funding for Community Health Centers (CHCs) — drawn from both annual appropriations and the Community Health Center Fund (CHCF) – expired on September 30. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reports that limited mandatory funds remain available to sustain operations temporarily. A prolonged shutdown, however, could result in reduced capacity and service interruptions in county and community-based clinics.
- Behavioral Health: Most Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) programs — including 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, State Opioid Response, and Mental Health and Substance Use Block Grants — are continuing operations using prior-year funds. Nonetheless, an extended shutdown could delay future grant cycles, create staffing uncertainty, and disrupt coordination for counties administering behavioral health and crisis services.
Learn More: NACo’s Federal Government Shutdown FAQ Page
Share Your County’s Story
NACo is collecting stories from across the nation to demonstrate the real-world impacts of the federal shutdown on counties and residents. Your input helps strengthen our advocacy with Congress and federal partners.
Advocacy Tools for County Leaders
Talking Points
- Counties are calling on the President and Congress to act swiftly and responsibly to fully reopen the federal government and restore the reliability county governments need to serve our residents effectively.
- Strong, predictable intergovernmental partnerships are key to sustaining programs and services for county residents.
- The ongoing government shutdown threatens to disrupt the consistent, reliable flow of resources and the important relationships we maintain with federal officials on the ground.
- While county governments continue to generate over two-thirds of our own revenue to provide services to residents, counties also receive $62 billion in intergovernmental revenue from the federal government.
- From ensuring our residents’ day-to-day safety, to undertaking infrastructure projects, responding to and recovering from disasters, administering federal programs for vulnerable populations and managing air, road and rail transit, county responsibilities often depend on federal, state and local resources and collaboration.
Template Letter to Congress: End the Government Shutdown
Urge Congress and the President to act swiftly and responsibly to immediately pass a bipartisan funding measure to restore stability to counties and the residents we serve.
Download Editable Template Letter (Word/PDF)
Contact your Representative | Contact your Senators
Media Monitoring: Tell Us If Your County Is in the News
If your local news outlet has covered how the shutdown is affecting your county, please share the link with NACo. These stories help inform our federal advocacy and communications with Congress.
Stay Engaged & Informed
Upcoming NACo Events and Updates
NACo will continue providing briefings and real-time updates on the shutdown’s impacts and legislative negotiations through our Inside Washington series.
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Resource
What Counties Need to Know When a Government Shutdown Happens
Stretching small opioid settlement allocations helps funding do more
States and localities are set to receive $56 billion in opioid settlement dollars over an 18-year period, but not every county that receives settlement funding will get enough to build out infrastructure.
County Countdown – Dec. 1, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership.
Counties Celebrate Key Permitting Inclusions in SPEED Act
NACo issued the following statement in response to the passage of the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act (H.R. 4776), which advanced out of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources on November 20.
Federal district court issues ruling preventing the federal government from imposing immigration compliance mandates on grant recipients
On November 4, a federal judge in Rhode Island ruled that the U.S. Department of Transportation cannot condition federal grant funding on a recipient’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts.
FAA-NACo Airport Land Use Compatibility
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | 3:00 p.m. - 4:300 p.m. ET
Counties play a crucial role in our nation’s aviation system, owning and operating hundreds of airports across the country. And even in places where the county may not own the airport, county planning departments and development organizations work to maximize the value of this asset to the community’s economic and overall wellbeing. Join NACo and staff from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Airports Planning and Programming to learn more about the FAA’s “Advisory Circular on Airport Land Use Compatibility Planning,” which will enable counties work smarter to integrate airports into broader planning efforts for land use, economic development and more. FAA staff will also be available to answer questions from county leaders about planning needs in their community and how the Advisory Circular can guide those efforts.
Speakers:
- Jacqueline Essick, Associate Director, Jacobsen|Daniels
- Amber McNair, Founder & Principal Investigator, AV McNair, LLC
- Michael (Mike) Hines, Manager of Airports Planning and Environmental Division, FAA
- Jean Wolfers-Lawrence, Manager of Environmental Planning Branch, FAA
Early Considerations for County Implementation of H.R. 1 Changes to Medicaid and SNAP
This webinar will provide county leaders with an overview of early considerations for implementing proposed changes to Medicaid and SNAP under H.R. 1.
Inside Washington: County Impacts from the White House & Congress, December 11
Join NACo’s Government Affairs team for week thirteen of a biweekly series on key developments from the White House and Congress. Discussions will focus on policies and actions that directly impact counties — from federal funding and regulatory changes to intergovernmental partnerships. Tune in for an inside look at how these evolving federal dynamics may shape county priorities, responsibilities and operations.
Modern Networks, Smarter Budgets: A County Leader's Perspective
Join us for a fireside chat with Orleans County, NY, as they share how their team successfully transitioned from a traditional capital expense (CapEx) model to an operational expense (OpEx) model for network services.
When faced with rising maintenance costs and an expiring carrier contract, the county seized the opportunity to modernize its network and lock in predictable monthly costs. By bundling connectivity services with unified communications, they achieved immediate savings of over $124,000, eliminated recurring charges such as long-distance fees and third-party integration costs, and gained access to operational upgrades like call analytics and auto-attendants.
This shift not only strengthened financial planning through fixed monthly expenses but also freed up IT staff to focus on strategic initiatives.
Key takeaway: Rethinking your budget model can be just as impactful as upgrading your technology — delivering fiscal stability and enhanced services for your community.