SCOTUS slated to run out of funding due to ‘Schumer shutdown’

The Supreme Court is slated to run out of money on Saturday, Oct. 18, at which point certain policy changes will go into effect, and all because of the “Schumer shutdown” that Democrats keep perpetuating.

Patricia McCabe, the head of the court’s Public Information Office (PIO), said in a statement to reporters on Friday that the court “expects to run out of funding on October 18,” according to SCOTUSblog.

She added that “if new appropriated funds do not become available” soon, “the Court will make changes in its operations.”

“As a result, the Supreme Court Building will be closed to the public until further notice,” she said. “The Building will remain open for future business.”

“The Supreme Court will continue to conduct essential work such as hearing oral arguments, issuing orders and opinions, processing case filings, and providing police and building support needed for those operations,” she added.

NEW: The Supreme Court will run out of funding Saturday, Oct. 18, but will continue holding oral arguments and releasing orders and opinions throughout the government shutdown, per a #SCOTUS spokesperson. The court’s building, however, will be closed to the public. pic.twitter.com/mL8jdhx7nf

— Katie Buehler (@bykatiebuehler) October 17, 2025

Two days after the high court runs out of money, so will the rest of the federal courts.

“The judicial branch announced that beginning on Monday, Oct. 20, it will no longer have funding to sustain full, paid operations,”  the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said in a statement Friday. “Until the ongoing lapse in government funding is resolved, federal courts will maintain limited operations necessary to perform the Judiciary’s constitutional functions.”

“Federal judges will continue to serve, in accordance with the Constitution, but court staff may only perform certain excepted activities permitted under the Anti-Deficiency Act,” the statement continued.

The so-called excepted work includes “activities necessary to perform constitutional functions under Article III, activities necessary for the safety of human life and protection of property, and activities otherwise authorized by federal law.”

The only catch is this work will be performed without pay until the funding lapse is corrected, while any staff members not performing excepted work will be furloughed like everybody else.

BREAKING—80% of the National Nuclear Security Administration will be furloughed. These are the professionals who manage our nuclear stockpile.
Democrats let funding lapse. Now they’re risking our national security. pic.twitter.com/HqMkEnhvXB

— Armed Services GOP (@HASCRepublicans) October 17, 2025

Because Supreme Court justices have lifetime tenure, they cannot be fired/furloughed, nor can their pay be reduced.

“The justices finished their October argument session on Oct. 15, hearing arguments in a major voting rights case from Louisiana and a Fourth Amendment case from Montana,” according to SCOTUSblog.

“They are expected to issue orders on Monday, Oct. 20, from their private conference on Friday, but they are not expected to take the bench again until Monday, Nov. 3. They are scheduled to hear oral arguments on Nov. 5 in the challenge to President Donald Trump’s power to impose sweeping tariffs,” the reporting continues.

All this comes as congressional Democrats in the Senate refuse to help pass a nonpartisan Continuing Resolution that would fund the government without adding any new spending. This is why Republicans have referred to the shutdown as the “Schumer shutdown.”

“This is pretty straightforward — we’re basically being held up by five Democrats,” Republican Rep. Chip Roy explained to the Washington Reporter.

“The United States government is shut down because we can’t get five Democrats to join with the two that have already come across the aisle to work with us. Instead, the Democrats are playing games — all because they literally have nothing else to run on,” he continued.

“The shutdown continues. The Republican Party is NOT going to pay $1.5 TRILLION to illegal immigrants coming into our country,” says @POTUS.

“It’s a Democrat Shutdown. It’s a Schumer Shutdown — because his career is failed and it’s over.” pic.twitter.com/luWJmeYGuU

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) October 17, 2025

“Obviously we are waiting to hear what the Senate does and hopefully the Senate Democrats decide to change their mind and reopen the government,” Freedom Caucus chairman Andy Harris likewise told the Washington Examiner.

“But until then, the Republicans are standing together and just waiting for the Democrats to reopen the government so we can get down to the negotiations we need to do to pass our appropriations bills and all the other issues in Congress,” he added.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a staff writer for BizPac Review with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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