If the government shuts down days before Christmas, holiday travel could see disruptions but holiday shipping would be spared.

Barring a pre-Christmas legislative miracle, the US government will plunge into a partial shutdown at midnight Friday after Musk tanked a year-end spending deal and the Trump doubled down with a demand for new debt spending authority that he never had a chance of getting through Congress.

When a shutdown happens, the government isn’t able to spend money — with some exceptions — meaning that federal employees across the country would be expected to work without pay until the shutdown ends or face furloughs. In turn, essential services would continue to operate, but resources would be significantly strained.