Gestern wurde nach 41 Tagen der längste US-Shutdown in der Geschichte beendet, nachdem Tausende Flüge ausgefallen sind, da Fluglotsen nicht mehr bezahlt wurden. Aber wer wird überhaupt während einem Shutdown bezahlt?
Jetzt haltet euch fest, die einzigen offiziellen Ausnahmen, die weiterhin ihr Gehalt erhalten, sind Mitglieder des Kongresses, Bundes-Richter und der Präsident.
Allerdings ist es in der Praxis wesentlich komplizierter.
Die Grundregel lautet, dass systemrelevante Bedienstete wie das Sicherheits- und Krankenhauspersonal und auch Fluglotsen, ohne Gehalt weiterarbeiten müssen, das Gehalt aber garantiert nach dem Shutdown ausbezahlt bekommen.
Nicht systemrelevante Bedienstete wie Angestellte von Museen oder Parks müssen die Arbeit allerdings niederlegen und werden beurlaubt, bekommen vom Kongress aber auch die Zusicherung, das Gehalt nach dem Shutdown zu bekommen.
Schlechter sieht es bei nicht systemrelevanten Vertragsbediensteten aus, diese werden ebenfalls nach Hause geschickt, bekommen dann nach dem Shutdown für die nicht gearbeitete Zeit kein Geld garantiert. In der Praxis werden diese aber vermutlich ebenfalls ausbezahlt.
Und dann gibt es noch ungefähr 830 000 Bedienstete, die trotz Shutdown ihr Gehalt bekommen, da ihre Gehalt nicht direkt vom Kongress abhängt, sondern sie mittels anderen Ausgabenpaketen bezahlt werden.
Wie ihr seht, ist die Sache etwas komplexer und die unmittelbaren Auswirkungen eher minimal. Allerdings werden während einem Shutdown auch die Unterstützung für Bedürftige (Food Stamps) gestrichen und staatliche Investitionen gestoppt.
Je länger ein Shutdown dauert, desto tiefer sinkt auch die Arbeitsmoral der systemrelevanten Angestellten, die sich dann oft krank melden, da sie nicht mehr laufend bezahlt werden. Das ist bei den Fluglotsen besonders sichtbar und akut geworden, weswegen Tausende Flüge in den USA ausgefallen sind.
Der Shutdown wird diese Woche vom Kongress ohne wirkliche Kompromisse oder gar Reformen beendet und der Shutdown nur verschoben. Bereits Ende Januar 2026 droht der nächste Shutdown.
Was sagt ihr dazu? Wart ihr vom Shutdown betroffen? Wenn ja, wie?
AI-generated illustration (copilot)
Senate ends 41-day government shutdown stalemate, sends bipartisan deal to House
Here’s who’s getting paid — and who isn’t — during the federal government shutdown
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/22/politics/who-gets-paid-during-shutdown
English
Yesterday, after 41 days, the longest US government shutdown in history came to an end, after thousands of flights were canceled because air traffic controllers were no longer being paid. But who actually gets paid during a shutdown?
Brace yourself, the only official exceptions who continue to receive their salaries are members of Congress, federal judges, and the president.
However, in practice, it is much more complicated.
The basic rule is that essential workers such as security and hospital staff, as well as air traffic controllers, must continue to work without pay, but are guaranteed to be paid after the shutdown.
Non-essential employees, such as museum or park employees, must stop working and are placed on leave, but Congress has also assured them that they will receive their salaries after the shutdown.
The situation is worse for non-essential contract employees, who are also sent home and are not guaranteed to receive any money for the time they did not work after the shutdown. In practice, however, they will probably also be paid.
And then there are about 830,000 employees who will receive their salaries despite the shutdown because their salaries do not depend directly on Congress, but are paid through other spending packages.
As you can see, the issue is somewhat more complex and the immediate effects are rather minimal. However, during a shutdown, support for those in need (food stamps) is also cut and government investments are halted.
The longer a shutdown lasts, the more the morale of essential employees declines, and they often call in sick because they are no longer being paid on a regular basis. This has become particularly visible and acute among air traffic controllers, which is why thousands of flights in the US have been canceled.
The shutdown will be ended by Congress this week without any real compromises or reforms, and the shutdown will only be postponed. The next shutdown is already looming at the end of January 2026.
What do you think? Were you affected by the shutdown? If so, how?
I reckon politicians still get paid even if they are not essential!
So the government officials are the only exception of being paid? That's quite unfair.
This shutdown has caused a lot of problems to the non-essential employees
!BBH
It is sad to hear that there is another shutdown looming at the Q1 next year
Das ist schon krass
!BBH
It’s hard to believe something like this can happen in such a developed country. The shutdown showed how deeply it affects ordinary workers and services we rely on every day. Hopefully, lessons are learned so it doesn’t happen again in 2026.
I don't know who and who in the government are responsible for initiating lockdowns, but if it's the Congress members and the president, then it should be no surprise that they allowed this recent shutdown elongate the way it did, since their salaries would keep coming. The public and other government officials are left to bear the unfavourable consequences.
Only a couple of weeks opened before another potential shutdown? If I were an essential employee or someone indirectly affected by the shutdown, I'll look for another job and leave for good :)