Bronx Voice  October 17, 2025 Follow @x NEW YORK - As the US government shutdown drags on, New Yorkers are expressing concern over programs being shut down and services being cut. Below are tips on how to survive the shutdown. 1. Understand What Happens in a Government Shutdown Let’s start with the basics — what actually happens when the U.S. government “shuts down”? A shutdown isn’t like turning off the lights in Washington; it’s more like putting half the government on pause because Congress couldn’t agree on a spending plan.  Each year, lawmakers have to pass funding bills to keep federal agencies running. When they don’t — boom — the money stops flowing, and most agencies have to close or scale way back until funding is restored. Here’s where it gets tricky: not everyone in the government goes home. Some employees are labeled “essential”, meaning their work is consider...