Here's what happens during a partial government shutdown

During a partial government shutdown, nonessential services pause and federal workers face furloughs or delayed pay, but essential operations will continue.

What's more, funding for certain programs, like Social Security, and some agencies such as the Postal Service, operate separately from the yearly appropriations process. Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate. 

A shutdown lasting less than two weeks would likely have minimal impact, as federal employees would still receive their paychecks on schedule. Longer shutdowns, meanwhile, are usually accompanied by retroactive pay for government workers and congressional staff. As a result, the actual effects of a shutdown tend to be far less severe than how it's typically described.