In this episode of Federal Credit Fridays, Anthony Curcio and Sarah Cunningham discuss how the ongoing federal government shutdown—the longest in history—is affecting federal loan programs and project timelines nationwide.

Delays Across Federal Projects

Anthony points out that bipartisan initiatives (such as infrastructure investments, nearshoring of supply chains, and strengthening of the energy grid) are closely tied to federal financing and permitting. When the government halts operations, those efforts are inevitably delayed.

“I expect that the impact of the shutdown that’s gone on for more than a month now is delaying projects nationwide,” Anthony says. “It could take months to get back on track.”

Sarah agrees, noting that the consequences vary widely across projects. For some, the shutdown is simply an inconvenience; for others, it creates significant financial strain.

“It can be everything from an inconvenience with timelines to a massive cash or credit crunch,” Sarah explains. “When reimbursements or reviews are on hold, it leaves organizations trying to move forward without the funds to do so.”

Looking Ahead

Anthony closes the discussion by asking how quickly federal lending programs might recover once the government reopens.

Sarah’s answer highlights the complexity of restarting federal operations:

“It’s going to be a slightly different answer program by program,” she says. “In some cases, it’s as simple as turning a system back on and working through the backlog. In others, there may be larger program-by-program impacts that take longer to unwind. We’ll be there to help clients move forward as quickly as possible.”

While the exact timeline for recovery remains uncertain, both Anthony and Sarah express optimism that programs will rebound—and reaffirm Summit’s commitment to helping federal clients navigate the challenges ahead.