Government’s gears still grind: Purported permanent shutdown never happened

More than two days after an Instagram post claimed the U.S. government was shuttering forever, American bureaucracy endured. 

“WARNING,” a screenshot of a Sept. 2 X post said. “In less than 48 hours the United States government is shutting down for good!!!”

“Stay steady, folks. The storm is coming. #WWG1WGA,” said the caption of a Sept. 2 Instagram post that shared the screenshot, using a hashtag common in the QAnon conspiracy movement.

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Forty-eight hours after that dire premonition, the U.S. government continued functioning. On Sept. 4, the House Oversight Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Subcommittee held a hearing on the federal government’s response to the 2023 wildfires in Maui, Hawaii; the White House and State Department held their daily briefings; and Attorney General Merrick Garland met with an election threats task force.

We rate claims the government shut down for good Pants on Fire!