# Federal Employees Navigate Shutdown Ethics

A discussion about a possible December 2026 federal shutdown describes employees considering outside work while furloughed, with commenters emphasizing agency-specific ethics approval, avoiding conflicts of interest and misuse of nonpublic information, and accurately reporting time if recalled. One self-identified TSA employee said they were initially home and later called back to the office. The discussion is not an official procurement announcement or a change to ethics rules, but it highlights potential staffing and conflict-of-interest considerations for agencies and contractors during a shutdown period.

- Contractors considering outside-work arrangements with current federal employees should account for the employee’s agency-specific approval process and avoid roles involving the employee’s current organization or representation before their agency.
- Procurement teams should not assume furloughed employees will remain unavailable: the TSA account describes a return-to-office call-back, which may affect staffing and continuity.
- The discussion offers no contract opportunity, procurement deadline, or agency-issued guidance; it should be treated as anecdotal rather than formal policy.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Published:** November 15, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. federal government
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)

### Key Quotes
> It can't be a role that conflicts directly with your work as in a conflict of interest (e.g. contractor for your current org/team, represent others before your agency).
> — Commenter

> In the beginning I was home, then I was called into the office.
> — Commenter (self-identified TSA employee)

### Sources
- [Shutdown planning: Ethical outside work from home?](https://www.reddit.com/r/FedEmployees/comments/1xwj5dd/shutdown_planning_ethical_outside_work_from_home) - reddit-fedemployees