First of all, government employees cannot volunteer to work during such a period. But, the following will continue:
Many Essential Functions
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Many Essential Functions
As a recent report by the Congressional Research Service[8] points out, an OMB memorandum from 1981 lays out examples of the many government functions of federal agencies that may continue during a funding lapse:
National security, including the conduct of foreign relations essential to the national security or the safety of life and property;
Benefit payments and the performance of contact obligations under no-year or multi-year appropriations or other funds remaining available for those purposes;
Medical care of inpatients and emergency outpatient care and activities essential for the safe use of food, drugs, and hazardous materials;
Air traffic control and other transportation safety functions;
Border and coastal protection and surveillance;
Protection of federal lands, buildings, waterways, and other property of the U.S.;
Care of prisoners and others in federal custody;
Law enforcement and criminal investigations;
Emergency and disaster assistance;
Activities essential to the preservation of the money and banking system of the U.S., including borrowing and tax collection;
Production of power and maintenance of the power distribution system; and
Protection of research property.
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