Answer in brief
Not yet: H.R. 6500, signed on 2 September, funds the government through 11 December 2026. A lapse would begin on 12 December only if Congress has not passed full-year bills or another stopgap by then. As of 3 November 2026 nobody can say which way it will go.
Funding through 11 December 2026 under H.R. 6500
No government shutdown is scheduled yet, and none can begin on 11 December itself. The White House said President Trump signed H.R. 6500 on 2 September 2026, funding agencies through 11 December. The Congressional Research Service says a funding gap would begin on 12 December unless Congress passes full-year bills or another stopgap first.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget records a 90–6 Senate vote on 8 August and a 370–48 House vote on 1 September. Holland & Knight adds that surface transportation, flood insurance and TSCA fee authorities expire on the same date, so December 11 carries more than the budget.
Where the twelve spending bills stood in October
Holland & Knight wrote on 9 October that the House had passed 3 of the 12 fiscal 2027 bills, Agriculture, Military Construction–VA and National Security–State, and that the Senate had not completed comparable floor action before its recess. House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole said on 1 September that the date leaves time for full-year bills after the elections, and that the Senate had not yet reported one.
What keeps running in a funding gap, per the CRS
In its December 2018 edition, a CRS report says the Antideficiency Act bars most spending without appropriations, except for emergencies involving human life or property. Examples that may continue include national security, air traffic control, law enforcement and border protection. Benefit payments such as Social Security can continue when permanently funded, though the staff who run them may be furloughed. Furloughed workers have generally been paid later by legislation.
The 43-day shutdown of 2025 as the precedent
The last shutdown began on 1 October 2025 and ended after 43 days, when Trump signed a funding bill on 12 November, Al Jazeera reported. About 670,000 civil servants were furloughed and a similar number worked without pay. The law funded the government only to 30 January.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated on 29 October 2025, while it was running, that a shutdown would permanently cost the economy between $7 billion and $14 billion, depending on length, PBS reported. CNN reported on 5 November 2025 that the FAA planned a 10% cut in flights at 40 airports because controllers were working unpaid.
What happens next, and when, before 11 December
Lawmakers return after the 3 November midterms for a lame-duck session. Holland & Knight lists three paths: an omnibus or several smaller packages, another stopgap into January or March, or a hybrid. It calls a second stopgap realistic and says a partial shutdown is possible if disputes remain. Which path Congress takes is not known today, so a government shutdown after 11 December stays possible but unsettled.
Questions and answers
Will the US government shut down on 11 December 2026?
It is undecided. H.R. 6500 funds agencies through 11 December. The CRS says a gap would begin on 12 December only if Congress has not passed full-year bills or another stopgap by then.
Do Social Security payments stop during a government shutdown?
The CRS says benefit payments backed by permanent appropriations may continue, though the staff who administer them can be furloughed. Each agency's own contingency plan has the detail.
How long was the last US government shutdown?
It lasted 43 days, from 1 October to 12 November 2025, Al Jazeera reported. The bill that ended it gave back pay to furloughed workers and funded the government only to 30 January.