The Smell of Shutdown: What Really Happens When Government Stops

October 7, 2025

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As the federal government shutdown enters its seventh day, former Government Accountability Office (GAO) Managing Director of Strategic Issues, Chris Mihm joins Fed Gov Today with Francis Rose to share lessons learned from past shutdowns and insights into how federal leaders can manage both the mission and their people during this uncertain period. Mihm, now an adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Public Administration, offers a mix of humor, perspective, and practical advice for navigating one of government’s most challenging scenarios.

Mihm begins with two stories that highlight the human side of a shutdown. During the 2013 lapse in appropriations, he was called back to work to represent GAO at an international conference. That experience showed him how nuanced shutdown operations can be — not everyone is fully “in” or “out.” Some federal employees, depending on their duties, are temporarily brought back for specific, essential functions, only to return to furlough once the task is complete. “It’s not just everyone goes home and then everyone comes back when it’s over,” Mihm explains. “It’s much more complicated than that.”

His second story provides comic relief — but also underscores an important point about preparedness. After the 2018–2019 shutdown, which lasted 34 days, Mihm recalls the unforgettable smell that hit employees as they returned to their offices. “As soon as we stepped off the elevators, you could smell that the food in the refrigerators hadn’t been cleaned out,” he says with a laugh. That anecdote captures both the absurd and the practical realities of shutting down — and restarting — a government workplace.

From those experiences and GAO’s extensive research on past shutdowns, Mihm identifies two major areas where strong leadership makes the biggest difference: managing the mission and managing the people.

On the mission side, Mihm emphasizes that agencies should establish clear, documented criteria for how they will tackle the backlog that builds during a shutdown. “It’s not always the oldest case that should be addressed first,” he notes. Some projects or grants may be more critical to other activities and should take priority. Transparent communication about how work will be prioritized helps both employees and stakeholders understand where things stand once operations resume.

Equally important, Mihm says, is managing the human element. Shutdowns affect employees in different ways depending on their grade level, financial situation, and job status. “For some, missing a paycheck is a serious hardship,” he explains. “For others, it may feel like unexpected time off.” Managers, he stresses, must approach their teams with empathy and open communication — listening carefully, sharing what they know, and acknowledging what they don’t. “If we keep those lines of communication open, we’ll be in good shape, even during very uncertain times.”

Mihm also warns against forgetting the basics. During a shutdown, employees are not permitted to work, even voluntarily, and supervisors must respect those boundaries. Informal check-ins are appropriate, he says, but conversations must steer clear of actual work.

In times of uncertainty, Mihm reminds federal leaders that the key to weathering a shutdown lies not just in managing operations, but in caring for the people who make government work.