The Duke Office of Government Relations (OGR) and Duke Health Government Relations are closely monitoring budget negotiations in Washington to assess the implications of a possible partial federal government shutdown for Duke and its activities. If such a shutdown occurs, it will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
 
To date, six of the twelve annual appropriations bills have been signed into law, and federal agencies funded through those bills would operate under normal circumstances should a shutdown occur. The agencies without a final appropriation for FY 26 that a partial shutdown could impact include:

  • Department of Education
  • Department of Health and Human Services
  • Department of Homeland Security
  • Department of State
  • Department of Transportation
  • Department of Defense

The OGR is closely coordinating with several key offices, including the Offices for Research and Innovation and Finance, to provide updates to the Duke community and to outline contingencies in place should a shutdown occur. We will continue to monitor developments and communications from the federal agencies. Still, it is possible that official guidance will not be available until after the shutdown begins. As information becomes available, it will be accessible through Duke Today, the Office of Government Relations blog, and the live updates page of myRESEARCHpath. The current expectation is that any partial shutdown would be short-term. Duke Health Government Relations will inform health system leadership about the implications of a shutdown for patients, clinical trials, hospital operations, and medical and nursing education. As with previous shutdowns, we anticipate that Social Security and Medicare checks, as well as Medicare payments to hospitals, physicians, and other providers, will continue to be distributed. However, there is a patchwork of temporary statutory waivers for telehealth services under Medicare that, unless further action is taken, will expire on January 30. Duke Health Government Relations continues to advocate for the extension of telehealth waivers and any retroactive payments that may be due. 

Below are some additional resources that will be helpful if a shutdown occurs:

From Duke University on Research Projects:

https://myresearchpath.duke.edu/impact-federal-government-shutdown-academic-research

From the American Immigration Lawyers Association:

https://www.aila.org/advo-media/aila-practice-pointers-and-alerts/government-shuts-down

OGR and Duke Health GR will continue to monitor the situation and update the Duke community as further information becomes available.