--- title: Shutdown Fears Have Americans Pausing Pricey Purchases description: A new survey finds some Americans are adjusting plans for big-ticket purchases amid economic uncertainty caused by the government shutdown. authors: - name: Liliana Hall role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/ bio: Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. She is an Austin-based reporter for Money, where she covers a range of topics, including financial news, policy, banking, investing, passive income, financial planning and student loan debt. education: University of Texas at Austin at_money_since: 2025 articles: 134 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://x.com/lilihallllllll - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liliana-hall/ editors: - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere is an editor at Money.com. Since joining in 2015, she’s written and edited about a variety of personal finance topics, including banks, credit, student debt, saving strategies and more. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ published: '2025-10-09T12:12:41.000Z' modified: '2025-10-09T12:12:41.000Z' section: Economy and Politics word_count: 498 canonical: https://money.com/americans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Photo illustration of a empty shopping cart with a pause button on top and a cursor](https://img.money.com/2025/10/News-Americans-Pausing-Purchases.jpg) Paychecks have stopped for [millions](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/03/federal-government-still-shut-down-october-3/86474681007/) of federal workers and contractors — and some Americans are adjusting their spending as a result. About one in six Americans say they’re putting off a major purchase like a home or a car because of the ongoing government shutdown, according to a new [survey](https://www.redfin.com/news/delaying-home-car-purchase-government-shutdown/) from Redfin. Another 7% have scrapped those plans altogether. While most households aren’t directly missing paychecks, the uncertainty rippling through the economy is giving some buyers pause — especially those whose income depends on federal funding. Still, the majority of Americans, about 65%, say the shutdown hasn’t affected their buying plans, suggesting most consumers feel insulated from the fallout for now. The government shut down at midnight on Oct. 1 after lawmakers failed to agree on a budget. About [750,000 federal employees](https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2025-09/61773-Government-Shutdown.pdf) have been furloughed, while [essential workers](https://www.usatoday.com/story/10/01/government-shutdown-military-service-members/86453130007/) — including those supporting critical functions in the armed services, U.S. Postal Service, Social Security Administration and Transportation Security Administration — are required to keep working without pay. ## When you're in need of emergency funds, a Personal Loan can provide financial aid and peace of mind. ### With the help of a loan, you can settle bills, consolidate debt, and even cover any unforeseen expenses. To see if you qualify, click on your state today. [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/hef73a4e6d33?ap_referrer=%2Famericans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown%2F) Under the [Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/24), signed by President Donald Trump during the last shutdown in [2018](https://www.npr.org/2025/10/01/nx-s1-5559267/government-shutdown-length-history), federal employees are entitled to back pay once the shutdown ends. But a new White House memo, first reported by [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/10/07/trump-memo-furloughed-federal-workers-backpay), suggests that furloughed employees may not be compensated this time, leaving more uncertainty hanging over workers' finances. “A government shutdown doesn’t just stop paychecks for some federal employees — it shakes the financial confidence of Americans,” Daryl Fairweather, Redfin’s chief economist, says in the [report](https://www.redfin.com/news/delaying-home-car-purchase-government-shutdown/). Plus, the shutdown is the latest in a series of economic stressors weighing on Americans’ confidence. In an August [survey](https://www.redfin.com/news/survey-job-security-2025/), Redfin found that more than two in five workers said they’d delayed or canceled a major purchase due to job security concerns, and over a third said they were more worried about keeping their job than they were at the beginning of the year. Earlier this spring, nearly a [quarter of Americans](https://www.redfin.com/news/survey-tariffs-major-purchase/) said they’d put off big-ticket purchases amid uncertainty around new tariffs. "People across the country are taking in the news and thinking, ‘we’ve faced inflation, tariffs, job losses, a volatile stock market, and now a government shutdown — what’s next?’" Fairweather says. "It’s understandable that some people are reconsidering buying a home or a car when the economy feels uncertain.” For now, most everyday spending appears steady. However, the shutdown is only in its second week and many of the millions of affected federal workers and contractors haven't even missed a full paycheck yet. If the shutdown extends into mid-October, as current projections suggest, consumer confidence could take a more major hit. Senate Republicans and Democrats are still arguing over the health insurance subsidies that led to the shutdown, with each side voting down the other's stopgap funding bill again on Wednesday. ## Personal Loans can provide financial relief during an emergency. ### Personal loans can be used for multiple things, like paying medical bills and consolidating high-interest debt. Click below to see if you qualify! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/g33c15b69c6c?ap_referrer=%2Famericans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown%2F) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/39969/medium_0f8b4a5b-9359-433c-b312-2af52339cec6.webp) Personal Loans can help you get back on track [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/w61fc05665c9?ap_referrer=%2Famericans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/americans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Economy and Politics", "item": "https://money.com/economy-and-politics/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "News", "item": "https://money.com/news/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Shutdown Fears Have Americans Pausing Pricey Purchases" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/americans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/americans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown/", "name": "Shutdown Fears Have Americans Pausing Pricey Purchases", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2025-10-09T12:12:41.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/americans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/americans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2025-10-09T12:12:41.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "Shutdown Fears Have Americans Pausing Pricey Purchases", "articleSection": "Economy and Politics", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2025/10/News-Americans-Pausing-Purchases.jpg", "width": 2240, "height": 1493, "caption": "News-Americans-Pausing-Purchases" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liliana Hall", "url": "https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/#author", "description": "Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. She is an Austin-based reporter for Money, where she covers a range of topics, including financial news, policy, banking, investing, passive income, financial planning and student loan debt.", "image": "https://img.money.com/2025/03/Hall_headshot.jpg?quality=85&w=640&h=640&crop=1", "email": "liliana.hall@money.com", "jobTitle": "Reporter", "alumniOf": "University of Texas at Austin", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/lilihallllllll", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/liliana-hall/" ], "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2025-10-09T12:12:41.000Z", "description": "A new survey finds some Americans are adjusting plans for big-ticket purchases amid economic uncertainty caused by the government shutdown.", "abstract": "A new survey finds some Americans are adjusting plans for big-ticket purchases amid economic uncertainty caused by the government shutdown.", "@id": "https://money.com/americans-delay-purchases-government-shutdown/", "inLanguage": "en-US", "dateModified": "2025-10-09T12:12:41.000Z", "editor": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kaitlin Mulhere", "url": "https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/#author", "description": "Kaitlin Mulhere is an editor at Money.com. Since joining in 2015, she’s written and edited about a variety of personal finance topics, including banks, credit, student debt, saving strategies and more. ", "image": "https://img.money.com/2015/04/Kaitlin-Mulhere.png?w=226&h=247&crop=1", "email": "kaitlin.mulhere@money.com", "jobTitle": "Editor", "alumniOf": "University of Florida", "sameAs": [ "https://twitter.com/KMulhere", "https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/" ], "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "wordCount": 498, "about": [ { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Political economy", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_economy" ] }, { "@type": "Thing", "name": "News", "sameAs": [ "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/News" ] } ] } ] } ```