2025 government shutdown: What it could mean for federal workers in DC, Maryland, Virginia
Latest on looming 2025 government shutdown
At midnight on Tuesday, the government will shut down unless a funding deal is reached.
WASHINGTON - The deadline to keep the government open is fast approaching. At midnight on Tuesday, the government will shut down unless a funding deal is reached — and the jobs of thousands of federal workers in the D.C. region are hanging in the balance.
Latest updates on 2025 government shutdown
What we know:
President Donald Trump and top Democrats and Republicans met Monday at the White House in a last-ditch effort to avoid a shutdown. But there’s a growing feeling on the Hill that it may be unavoidable.
"During the Biden administration there were 13 threatened shutdowns," said Rep. Mike Johnson. "Republicans did the right thing and kept the government open. We are simply asking for the Democrats to do the same."
While Republicans control the House and Senate, they don’t have a big enough majority in the Senate to pass a funding bill alone. Democrats want cuts to health care and education in the recent "Big Beautiful Bill" restored.
When does the government shutdown start?
What's next:
Government funding runs out Oct. 1. The deadline for a funding deal is Tuesday night at midnight.
What happens to federal workers during a government shutdown?
Local perspective:
Furloughs of federal employees during a shutdown are common. One move being considered by the Trump administration is not. The Office of Management and Budget has proposed firing thousands of federal workers — many who live in D.C., Maryland and Virginia — if funding for their departments runs out.
"Firing those people if their programs aren’t funded, and if those programs aren’t part of the president’s agenda anyway — this is something we’ve never seen before," said Federal News Network's Tim Temin.
Local leaders are warning this could be a big hit on the D.C. region’s economy.
"The threat that ‘I’m going to keep traumatizing the federal workforce’ — it’s not that it’s an empty threat, it’s sort of a believable threat. But frankly, a lot of Virginians think they’re going to do that anyway regardless," said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.)
It’s estimated that about 14,000 federal workers in D.C., Maryland and Virginia have already lost their jobs due to layoffs from the Department of Government Efficiency. One of the federal unions, the American Federation of Government Employees, says workers are being used as "bargaining chips."