If it takes a government shutdown to change what's happening to federal agencies, some workers say: Bring it on.

Why it matters: These employees say they wouldn't typically be OK with the government closing, given that they lose pay.

• But this time, they feel they've been under siege all year and are out of options.

Zoom in: "I really don't want [a shutdown], but we're experiencing the biggest crisis in government in our lifetimes, and the only way out of that is for Congress to stand up and reassert its power," Mark Histed, who works at the National Institutes of Health, tells Axios.

• NIH has been hit particularly hard by White House cuts: both job losses and research funding cuts.
• An EPA worker — one of many who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation — tells Axios they're alright with a shutdown "if that means the government I signed up to work for starts responsibly functioning again."
• "At this point it's the lesser of two evils," says an Interior Department employee. "Trump has been dismantling the federal workforce since day one and giving him a blank check to continue is worse."
• In a letter sent to Congressional leaders earlier this month, hundreds of federal workers urged Democrats to stand up to the president.

Yes, but: There are millions of federal employees, and not all of them welcome more disruption. Many will be sent home without pay; others will be asked to work for no paycheck. Many live check to check.

• Federal worker unions have put out statements opposing closure.

By the numbers: As of today, 150,000 workers who took the "fork in the road" buyout offer are off the payrolls.

• The shutdown could complicate the process of getting them the paperwork they need to get final paychecks, health care and unemployment benefits, said Max Stier, president of the Partnership for Public Service.

Threat level: In past shutdowns, furloughed workers knew they'd receive backpay, and did. This time, there's less certainty.

• The administration is threatening to turn those furloughs — estimated at 750,000 a day — into mass firings.
• Anyone visiting a federal website will read that it's Democrats' fault, Axios' Hans Nichols and Stef Kight report.

The intrigue: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is using the moment to try to galvanize Virginians ahead of their upcoming gubernatorial election.

• "[Trump and MAGA's] goal is to ruin your life and punish hardworking families already struggling with Trump Tariffs and inflation," Jeffries wrote on X. "Remember in November."

What we're watching: How local leaders and officials respond — and whether any fired workers are ultimately rehired.

Go deeper: Behind the scenes on the Hill

✈️ Flights will continue operating, but staff shortages could lead to snags.

• More than 13,000 air traffic controllers will have to work without pay, per the Transportation Department's plan.
• Roughly 3,500 workers who provide critical safety and operational support will be furloughed.

Flashback: During the 35-day 2019 shutdown, record numbers of TSA agents called out sick. Over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend that year, 10% of airport screeners missed work, and on the shutdown's final day, the absence of just 10 air traffic controllers temporarily shut down travel at LaGuardia, and brought delays at other major airports, primarily around the East Coast.

🌳 National Parks: Parks with trails and accessible areas will generally stay open; parks, buildings and parking lots with a locking door or a gate will close, per an NPS memo, the Washington Post reports.

• Flashback: In the past, the parks have been closed, but Trump kept them open during his last presidency with a "skeleton crew" of workers, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.
• The group said damage occurred and "took many parks months, some years, to recover from." Much of it was "irreparable" — wrecked infrastructure from illegal off-roading, stolen artifacts, vandalized prehistoric petroglyphs and chopped down trees.

🐼 National Zoo and Smithsonians: The Zoo wrote on X yesterday that the Zoo and museums will remain open through at least Monday, Oct. 6. "The Smithsonian will use prior-year funds still available to us to remain open," the X post said.

The Capitol Visitor Center will be closed, and Congressional trips are on ice, but Congress will otherwise function as usual.

Zoom in: Parking garages will have normal hours ... Senate shuttles will run ... cafeterias will be open, according to guidance sent yesterday.

• But Hill staffers will need to be careful about using the office credit card.
• Senators can't incur new travel expenses, but they can use miles!

The first call for chiefs of staff: Deciding which employees are "excepted" from the shutdown and allowed (or required!) to work.

• The theoretical test is whether the job is in support of "the senator in fulfilling their constitutional duties." In reality, nearly every office declares all its employees "excepted."
• In this shutdown, everyone will likely be deemed essential. Paid and unpaid interns are still allowed to work.
• Staffers won't get paid until the shutdown's over. Lawmakers will.

The bottom line: Health insurance will continue. If and when the government reopens, staffers will get back pay.

• But for junior aides, a prolonged shutdown can be painful.

🚗 Amazon's self-driving car group, Zoox, is testing its vehicles on D.C. streets. Keep your eyes peeled for Toyota Highlanders with cameras and sensors — and human drivers inside. (Washington Business Journal)

🤼 Actor/wrestler John Cena will wrestle in his last-ever match during a farewell WWE showdown at Capital One Arena in December. (D.C. News Now)

During his address at Quantico yesterday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared the U.S. military free of its "woke" shackles and told military brass they could quit if they didn't agree. (Axios)

🗓️ Mark your calendar with our Event Board.

Patriotism or Profits? Good Business in the Age of Consumer Nationalism at The Gallup Building on Oct 8: Join Bentley University and Gallup for a timely conversation on what it means to be a "good" American business in an age of rising consumer nationalism. Experts will unpack fresh research on why Americans prefer U.S.-made goods, how "Made in the USA" branding shapes trust, and the tension between profits and public expectations.

Hosting an event? Email [email protected].

One thing remains certain in D.C. when a government shutdown happens: all-day happy hour is a go.

Why it matters: Shutdown food and drink specials are Washington's silver-lining tradition — like snow day specials before remote work.

State of play: Many places only offer deals to ID-carrying federal workers.

• Though, as downtown Italian spot Carmine's tells Axios, their shutdown happy hour is open to all "because we know a shutdown impacts everyone — looking at YOU law firms, trade associations, D.C. government."

The deals:

🍝 Carmine's (Penn Quarter): All-day happy hour with $5 meatball sliders and $8 frozen cocktails like "Here We Go Again" (a cosmo slush).

🌭 Union Pub (Capitol Hill): $3 beers + $7 beer-and-hotdog combos.

☹️ Barrel (Capitol Hill): All-day "Unhappy Hour" specials include $10 bourbon cocktails and $6 beers.

More specials.