November 6, 2025
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When the federal government reopens after the longest shutdown in U.S. history, the real work begins. Former General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Emily Murphy, now CEO of Government Procurement Strategies, joins Fed Gov Today with Francis Rose to talk about what agency leaders and employees can expect when operations resume—and why empathy and communication will be just as important as efficiency.
Murphy says the first day back will bring both relief and exhaustion. Many federal employees have been working extra shifts without pay, keeping essential operations running through the shutdown. “They’re going to be burnt out,” she explains. “They’ve been pulling double and triple duty, dealing with financial stress, and still showing up because they’re devoted public servants.” At the same time, furloughed employees—those not allowed to work—will be eager but anxious to return. Murphy believes leaders need to acknowledge both groups equally: gratitude for those who kept things going and compassion for those who couldn’t. “It’s not easy to not be allowed to work,” she says. “Being human and recognizing that this has been a tough time makes a big difference.”
Murphy points to her experience returning from the 2019 shutdown as a model. Then-Acting OMB Director Margaret Weichert prioritized getting paychecks out quickly, a gesture Murphy calls “a great testimony to her leadership.” Financial stability, she says, must come first. Workers are thinking about bills, not policy briefings. Even basic logistics—like cleaning offices and paying contractors—will need urgent attention, since many support services were halted during the shutdown.
As agencies reopen, backlogs will pile up fast. Contracts need to be reinstated, leases paid, cybersecurity protections updated, and timecards entered for weeks of furloughed time. Murphy describes the process as a balancing act of priorities. “You work with each service and its management team to identify what’s most urgent—buildings, finances, payroll—and you realize you’re not going to get it 100% right,” she says. “So you ask for grace and commit to fixing what you miss.”
Contractors face unique challenges, too. Murphy notes that vendors who received stop-work orders can’t simply resume operations when the shutdown ends—they must wait for their contracting officers to authorize it. This procedural delay adds to the strain, particularly for small businesses. She cites data showing roughly $3 billion per week in small business federal contracts were at risk during the shutdown. “That’s a lot of paychecks,” she says. “And that ripple effect hits local communities and families.”
Murphy also warns that the contracting workforce is smaller now than in past years, meaning each officer will shoulder more responsibility when the restart begins. Automation tools can help, she says, but clear communication and leadership will matter more. “You have to plan carefully, but you also need humility and flexibility,” Murphy explains. “It’s part science, part art.”
Finally, she notes that agencies may not look the same as they did before the shutdown. Some reorganizations took effect during the closure, and deferred resignations mean some employees won’t return. “People might come back to a different organization than the one they left,” she says. That makes leadership even more critical in rebuilding trust and direction.
Murphy ends with a hopeful note: federal employees are resilient, and many have been preparing for this moment. “The government’s ready to move quickly once the doors open,” she says. “The key is taking care of people first—because they’re the ones who make everything happen.”