What would stay open, closed during a federal government shutdown

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the third time in 13 months, the federal government appears headed for a shutdown over border security.

A three-day shutdown occurred on January 20, 2018 as Democrats and Republicans sparred over an extension for persons affected by DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).

RELATED: 5 things to know about a government shutdown

A second shutdown took place on February 9, 2018, but it lasted just nine hours after Congress raised the debt ceiling, increased Pentagon spending and agreed to debate DACA at a future date.

Congress may be headed for a third government shutdown at midnight.

Here is a list of the services that would be affected.

Passport - Likely Open

Passport offices should remain open if they generate enough fees to keep them operating.

The exception would be passport offices located inside federal buildings that are forced to close.

National Parks - Open

Yosemite National Park is open, but visitors may notice the effects of the government shutdown. Campgrounds are not staffed, and the visitor centers are closed.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks are open, but there will be no NPS services.

Airports - Open

The shutdown should not affect aviation safety. During the last shutdown, more than 14,000 air traffic controllers were ordered to keep working without pay.

However, about 3,000 support personnel were furloughed.

Postal Service - Open

The U.S. Postal Service is an independent agency of the federal government.

Post offices would not be affected. Mail would continue to be delivered.

Federal Benefits - Open

The check will be in the mail. Checks for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid would be paid.

New applications for benefits would not be processed until the shutdown ends.

Schools - Open

Public schools would remain open, but the Department of Education would cease many operations.

That would likely delay payment of student loans and grants.

Immigration Services - Partial Opening

Most employees of the Department of Homeland Security are considered essential and they would remain on the job.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is mostly self-funded, so it would continue operating during a shutdown.

Other programs like E-Verify, that checks whether an employee is authorized to work in the country, would be suspended.

IRS - Partial Closure

This is not good news if you are looking to get a tax refund soon.

Analysts at the Center for American Progress found that more than 90% of IRS workers were furloughed during the last government shutdown.

The Internal Revenue Service would likely continue automated processes, such as accepting electronic returns and processing payments.

But in the past, refunds have not been issued during a shutdown. IRS Assistance Centers would also close.

There is one silver lining, the IRS would not do any tax audits during a government shutdown.

Food Inspectors - Partial Opening

FDA inspectors that inspect seafood and dairy products would be furloughed, but USDA inspectors that inspect meat and poultry would likely continue working.