DENVER (KDVR) -- When lawmakers in congress are unable to pass bills that fund the federal government, the U.S. government shuts down, and local agencies and communities feel the impacts.

Congress is required to pass 12 appropriations bills to fund the next fiscal year by the time it starts on Oct. 1 of each year. Zero of the 12 required bills have been passed as of Oct. 1, 2025.

The end of a shutdown comes when the appropriations bills are passed by the House and Senate and signed by the President, a process that can take weeks. In the meantime, federal employees in departments funded by those bills may be furloughed or required to work without pay, and government services may be closed.

Here's what Coloradans should know in the case of a government shutdown.

What happens to federal w

See Full Page