Would a government shutdown affect mail delivery? What to know
After President-elect Donald Trump killed a bipartisan stopgap measure Wednesday by ordering Republicans to oppose it, congressional leaders are scrambling to find a solution to avert a looming government shutdown.
"Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH," Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance said in a statement opposing the current proposal. "If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF."
Trump’s statement comes after Congressional leaders released the text of a short-term bill to keep the federal government funded on Tuesday night.
The bill released is more than 1,500 pages long and includes more than $100 billion for disaster relief funding for areas impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Like any home or business, the federal government must pay its bills and when Congress can’t agree on how to appropriate money for funding, the government shuts down.
With a potential government shutdown looming ahead of the holidays, here's what you need to know if mail services, or the post office will be impacted by it.
Live updates: Will there be a government shutdown? Latest from Congress
Is mail service or the post office impacted by a government shutdown?
The U.S. Postal Service would be unaffected because it does not depend on Congress for funding. In a statement posted to their website on Sept. 29, 2023, during threats of a government shutdown, USPS said their "operations will not be interrupted in the event of a government shutdown, and all Post Offices will remain open for business as usual."
"Because we are an independent entity that is generally funded through the sale of our products and services, and not by tax dollars, our services will not be impacted by a government shutdown," it said.
Deadlines to ship your packages: USPS, FedEx and UPS holiday gift shipping schedules
When is the government shutdown deadline?
Current funding expires on Friday night when Congress hopes to adjourn for the holidays. If a funding bill is not passed, then the government will see itself forced to furlough thousands of federal workers and reduce federal services.
When have government shutdowns taken place?
The federal government has closed down 21 times since 1977, with a total of 162 days. That's an average of nearly eight days per shutdown.
The president with the highest number of shutdown days is Jimmy Carter, who had 56 days in five separate shutdowns from 1977 to 1979. Bill Clinton is third with 26 days in a single year in 1995.
An analysis shows the longest shutdown, 34 days, took place under President Donald Trump, who had a total of 38 days of closure. About 800,000 federal employees went without pay for 35 days during the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown in 2018 and 2019.
Contributing: Reuters; Jeremy Yurow, Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will government shutdown affect my mail delivery? What to know