A potential government shutdown has been looming, and congressional Republicans introduced a short-term funding measure on Sept. 16 to keep the government open, as reported by USA TODAY.

A government shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass funding bills or a stopgap measure to keep federal agencies operating. Without money approved by lawmakers and signed into law by the president, many government functions must halt or scale back until funding is restored.

So what happens during a government shutdown?

What closes during a government shutdown?

The most visible impact of a shutdown comes in the closure of national parks, monuments and museums, as well as furloughs for hundreds of thousands of federal employees deemed “nonessential.” Many workers are sent home without pay, while ot

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