Americans awoke this morning to discover the federal government had shut down.

To explain the impacts of the nation’s first shutdown in more than 17 years, numerous groups have organized fact sheets, reports, and blogs on the shutdown. We’ve compiled the best of these resources below to distill confusion about what the shutdown could mean for you.

• Office of Management as Budget: Agency Contingency Plans
  • The OMB’s official guide describes the operating plans for the government, including what services will become unavailable and who will be furloughed.
• USA Today: “66 questions and answers about the government shutdown”
  • Still have questions about the shutdown or the potential impacts of the debt ceiling crisis? USA Today answers 66 commonly asked questions.
• The Washington Post: “FAQ: How would a government shutdown impact federal workers?”
  • If you’re a federal employee, this compilation of questions and answers dive more deeply into impacts on the federal government’s workforce.
• The Washington Post: “Federal employee pay during a shutdown”
  • Answers crucial questions, including when and how federal paychecks could be affected.
• The Washington Post: “Impact of a government shutdown”
  • This tool gives readers the latest on the implications of the shutdown, broken down by departments and agencies. Included is the number of total workers per department furloughed and information on how services will be curtailed.
• The Washington Post Wonk Blog: “Absolutely everything you need to know about how the government shutdown will work”
  • The Wonk Blog’s cheat sheet on why the government is shut down, who will be affected, and what a shutdown means for everyday Americans.
• Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Q&A: “Everything You Should Know About Government Shutdowns”
  • The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget provides an easy-to-digest brief on what government services will not be available, while also putting the current crisis in the context of the budget process.
• The New York Times: “Who Goes to Work? Who Stays Home?”
  • An infographic on examples on which federal workers will be expected in the office.
• Slate: “Which Federal Employees Were ‘Essential’ in the 1995–'96 Shutdown”
  • This neat summary explains which federal employees were prioritized the last time the government shut down.
• The Washington Post: “Here is every previous government shutdown, why they happened and how they ended”
  • This year’s government shutdown promises to be distinct from previous shutdowns, but, in case you were curious, this list contains every shutdown the federal government has experienced.
• Slate: “Why Federal Workers Can’t Volunteer to Work for Free”
  • An explanation of why federal workers are barred from working during a shutdown.
• Congressional Research Service: Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects
  • A brief on what caused the shutdown, how shutdowns have ended in the past, and what this shutdown is likely to look like.
• Congressional Research Service: Government Shutdown: Operations of the Department of Defense During a Lapse in Appropriations
  • For defense department employees, as well as contractors, this CRS report breaks down how the military and defense industry will be affected by furloughs during the shutdown and what services will be prioritized.

Resources from the Center for Effective Government:

• What a Government Shutdown Could Look Like: The shutdowns in fiscal year 1996 and earlier government showdowns are useful in trying to understand what might happen starting today.

• Government Shutdown Would Compromise Worker and Public Health: It’s important to understand how a shutdown will impact the health and safety of workers and the public’s health.
• A Prolonged Government Shutdown Would Impact Contractors: The large number of people employed by federal contractors and subcontractors could be at risk of furloughs, delays in pay, and adverse impacts to the companies they work for.
• Politically Driven Fiscal Crises Create Self-Inflicted Economic Wounds: The current political game of chicken that threatens to shut down the government or, even more seriously, lead to an unprecedented U.S. default on its debt in mid-October, is harmful for everyday Americans and businesses.