The Shutdown Hangover: What Really Happens When Government Reopens

November 3, 2025

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Former Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget Margaret Weichert paints a vivid picture of what agencies and contractors face as they try to get back to normal. Her insights, drawn from experience managing the 2018–2019 shutdown recovery, reveal that returning to work isn’t just about unlocking doors — it’s about reactivating the machinery of government under strain.

Weichert begins by describing one of the biggest technical and logistical hurdles: access. Many systems that control entry to buildings and computers operate on 30-day cycles, which means that after a month of inactivity, those credentials can expire. “One of the biggest challenges,” she says, “is staging IT and building support so people can transition back if their PIV cards aren’t working.” In 2019, her team had to coordinate that process carefully to ensure employees could reenter their offices and systems smoothly. She expects agencies to face the same — or even greater — difficulties this time around.

But physical and IT access are just the start. The shutdown’s ripple effects extend to every corner of government operations. Weichert notes that when a closure stretches past 30 days, the consequences multiply — not in a linear way, but in what she calls “step functions.” Beyond a certain point, returning to normal becomes exponentially more complex. For example, furloughed workers at the IRS or other service-heavy agencies create backlogs that can take months to unwind. The missed deadlines for programs like SNAP can generate programmatic issues that reverberate long after the lights come back on.

Contractors, too, face unique pressures. Unlike federal employees, who can count on back pay, private-sector partners who support government work cannot. Weichert warns that some of those contractors may lose staff permanently due to financial strain or layoffs, complicating the recovery further. “The for-profit enterprises that serve the federal government can’t count on back pay,” she explains, making it harder for agencies to restart projects at full capacity.

Another concern Weichert highlights is the changing nature of the federal workforce. Since 2019, telework and hybrid models have become more common, yet many agencies now require in-person attendance. That shift, she says, may make it harder to stagger returns and manage building occupancy safely and efficiently. Union rules and clock-in times could also limit flexibility during the ramp-up phase.

Reflecting on lessons learned from past shutdowns, Weichert emphasizes the importance of communication and coordination. During the last shutdown, her team began daily meetings halfway through to align across operating functions — something she wishes they had done earlier. “It made a huge difference,” she says. This time, she hopes agencies are already doing that work in real time.

Finally, Weichert stresses the need for a unifying vision — something like the President’s Management Agenda — to guide agencies as they realign priorities after reopening. Without a “North Star,” she cautions, career employees may struggle to see how their missions connect to administration goals. “Most Feds want to do what the elected president wants to do,” she says, “but they need help connecting the dots.”