Overview of the Impact of the Government Shutdown on Federal Rulemaking
Published November 03, 2025
By AACOM Government Relations
Federal Policy
OME Advocate
- A Venable LLP analysis found that government shutdowns significantly slow federal rulemaking. While Regulations.gov remains operational, reduced staff at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) delays comment processing, and during the 2018 shutdown, the Office of the Federal Register (OFR) published 65 percent fewer pages than normal.
- Most rules scheduled to be released around this time of year can be expected to be delayed. An agency must accompany a submission to OFR with a “transmittal letter” stating that the proposal is “necessary to safeguard human life, protect property or provide other emergency services.” All regulatory actions, by agency, that are currently pending at OMB can be found on this dashboard.
- Read the Venable analysis for more information.
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