At 12:01 AM on October 1st, the federal government officially entered a shutdown amid an impasse on Capitol Hill over competing fiscal year 2026 congressional spending bills. Both Republican and Democratic proposals that would have funded the government past September 30th failed in the Senate.
All of the federal agencies must cease non-essential functions, until Congress is able to pass the 12 annual appropriations bills or a temporary funding measure, called a continuing resolution or CR. During a shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal workers are furloughed without pay and a wide range of services can be disrupted. Each department and agency has a contingency plan that outlines which essential operations will continue during the shutdown.
For details on what agency staff are still reporting to the AmeriCorps agency, and what non-essential services have been paused for the duration of the shutdown, please refer to the Agency Lapse Plan posted on americorps.gov.
As of Oct. 1st, the agency lapse plan states that 217 out of 300 employees are expected to be furloughed. A skeletal staff will remain to maintain the operations of the National Service Trust Fund, the VISTA Advance Payment Revolving Fund, AmeriCorps NCCC, FEMA Corps, and Forest Corps. Organizations that have an active, awarded grant can continue to operate and their AmeriCorps members and volunteers should continue to serve.
For more detailed information on specific circumstances, AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps Seniors program leaders should contact their state service commissions or CNCS program officer.
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