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.

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

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!