When the government shuts down, some operations continue, and some do not. This depends on what the Antideficiency Act defines as excepted, or “essential,” and nonexcepted, or “nonessential.” Like everything else, data maintenance, upkeep, and availability fall into these categories.
Government activities and personnel are considered essential and can continue certain functions if they are:
- Authorized by law (like Social Security payments)
- Necessary to protect life or property (like law enforcement, medical care, air traffic control, SNAP benefits)
- Necessary to facilitate an orderly shutdown of the government (like issuing furlough notices).
Federal activities can also continue if they are funded separately from annual appropriations. This includes Postal Service operations, which are funded by revenue from postage and other mail services rather than taxpayer appropriations. This also includes the Federal Reserve, which funds its operations independently from the federal budget through income on its own assets.
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Is data upkeep considered essential?
For the most part, data is not considered an essential function. Essential data-related components include things like IT infrastructure maintenance, some internal reporting on essential activities, and reporting on emergency situations that protect life or property — such as disaster response, public safety incidents, or critical financial operations needed to sustain government functions.
But generally, agencies stop routine, statistical reporting and research releases.
Ahead of an impending shutdown, each government agency outlines a shutdown contingency plan, which describes its personnel and activities. The plans specify which activities are essential and which will not continue.
The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, temporarily suspend non-excepted reporting activities.
During a shutdown, most federal agencies stop releasing regular reports.
Status of data and reporting during a government shutdown, for cabinet-level agencies, 2025
Other federal agencies have limited data and reporting releases. The Department of Transportation, for example, continues to provide safety and incident response reporting, but it pauses routine and public-facing reporting.
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