<h1>Government shutdown triggers agency furloughs, excepted employees continue unpaid and retroactive pay follows after funding resumes.</h1> A lapse in federal appropriations requires agencies to implement orderly shutdown procedures, furlough non-excepted employees, and maintain excepted functions that protect life and property; furloughed workers and service members receive retroactive pay once funding resumes. Mandatory spending programs and core safety and security functions continue, while discretionary programs such as certain research, regulatory reviews, and public services may be paused. The Office of Management and Budget has advised agencies to consider reductions in force for programs without alternative funding and not aligned with executive priorities.