[toomanybeersies]

The vast majority of police in the USA are not federal police, only federal government workers, not state government workers, are affected by this.

Essential workers, such as military, are still required to turn up to work, they just don't get paid. It's not the US Government would stop wars just because they can't pay their bills.

Congress, funnily enough, is actually except from the shutdown and members of congress still get paid, which is a bit perverse in my eyes.

As for things like electricity, I assume they just put it all on credit, it's not like the government isn't going to pay the power companies when they finally approve the budget. I usually have a month after my power bill comes in to pay it.