U.S. Government Enters Shutdown for First Time Since Trump’s Last Presidency

The U.S. government has shut down, after Congress came to a standstill on passing a spending bill that would finance the government beyond Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Amid disagreements on how federal funding should be allocated, President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans failed the change the minds of Democrats, who held the line on their demands for Obamacare tax credits.

“Our position has been very clear: cancel the cuts, lower the costs, save healthcare,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC’s This Week over the weekend.

As a result of the shutdown, which began at 12:01 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 1, nonessential federal agencies that rely on congressional funding will be put on hold and hundreds of thousands of federal workers may be furloughed without pay until Congress can agree on a plan to fund the government.

What caused the shutdown?

The main sticking point during congressional negotiations is the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare.”

Democrats have been pushing Republicans to address the matter of ACA subsidies to make Obamacare more affordable before open enrollment starts on Nov. 1. However, the GOP has repeatedly dismissed those concerns, saying the matter can wait.

“We can have that conversation, but before we do: release the hostage, set the American people free, keep the government open and then let’s have a conversation about those premium tax credits,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on Sunday. “I’m certainly open to that. I think we all are.”

What is a government shutdown?

When the federal government runs out of money to pay its bills, it is forced to “shut down” until lawmakers on Capitol Hill can agree on a plan to extend funding.

In a narrowly divided Congress where Republicans and Democrats both hold bargaining power, funding bills have become harder to pass. Each party is forced to weigh whether it’s better to make difficult concessions in order to keep the government open, or hold firm in their convictions at the risk of forcing an unpopular shutdown.

The effects of a government shutdown are felt around the nation. The National Park Service, for example, is likely to close many parks and monuments to the public, and federally funded museums like the Smithsonians could be forced to lock their doors until the shutdown ends.

Americans will not need to worry about any changes to their Social Security and Medicare, as those are funded through separate congressional laws, though people applying for benefits or waiting to obtain their Medicare cards can expect a longer wait since there will be limited personnel to process requests.

Government employees who are deemed essential — like TSA agents and air traffic controllers — will continue to work, though they won’t get paid until the government is reopened, which could cause staffing shortages and travel delays if employees refuse to show up for shifts.

Other federal government employees, including defense workers (both civilian and military), border security, and U.S. Postal Service workers will remain at work amid the shutdown.

How long will the shutdown last?

Government shutdowns can last anywhere from hours to weeks.

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history fell during Trump’s first term in office, lasting a total of 35 days — from Dec. 22, 2018, until Jan. 25, 2019. The latest shutdown is the first to occur since.

There have been hints from the Trump administration that they could benefit from the government being shut down this time around.

Politico reported that Russ Vought — a Project 2025 author who runs the White House’s Office of Management and Budget — recently directed federal agencies “to use this opportunity to consider Reduction in Force,” essentially calling for mass firings in the event of a shutdown rather than just temporary furloughs.

Following Vought’s guidance, federal departments began making action plans. On Sept. 26, the Department of Labor released a “Plan for the Continuation of Limited Activities During a Lapse in Appropriations,” detailing how various government offices would cease to operate entirely during the shutdown, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Vought has continued the work that Elon Musk began during his brief tenure with the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year.

As director of the OMB, Vought has eliminated hundreds of regulations on the environment, health, transportation and food and worker safety, halted the work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and sought to cancel billions in foreign aid.

“At the heart of Mr. Vought’s plan, associates say, is the intentional engineering of a legal battle over Congress’s power to decide how government money is spent, potentially creating a new legal precedent for the president to block spending on any programs and policies he dislikes,” the Times reported.