The federal government in the United States ceased operations as of October 1, after Congress failed to approve the budget for the new fiscal year.<\/p>\n
The shutdown, which began at 7:01 AM Turkish time, suspended the spending authority of government agencies, and most civil servants were placed on unpaid leave.<\/p>\n
Those in critical roles, such as healthcare workers, border guards, soldiers, and transportation personnel, will continue to work without pay. This marks the first full government shutdown in seven years.<\/p>\n
First full shutdown in seven years<\/strong><\/p>\n Previous shutdowns had been partial, with Congress passing temporary budget bills to buy time for negotiations.<\/p>\n This latest event is the 21st government shutdown in modern US history.<\/p>\n The longest of these occurred during Donald Trump’s presidency, lasting 35 days from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, and was estimated to have cost the American economy $3 billion.<\/p>\n During that period, some civil servants applied for food assistance, while those working without pay took sick leave en masse.<\/p>\n Healthcare reform at the center of the dispute<\/strong><\/p>\n At the core of the current crisis is a disagreement over subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is set to expire at the end of 2025.<\/p>\n Democrats have announced they will not support the budget unless these subsidies are protected. They also refuse to accept budget cuts for key health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).<\/p>\n Republicans, who control both houses of Congress after the 2024 elections, cannot reach the 60 votes needed in the Senate to pass the budget; the party holds 53 seats in the Senate. While Republicans proposed debating health issues separately from the budget, Democrats rejected this offer.<\/p>\n Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans for their lack of compromise, stating, \u201cThere is not the slightest contribution from Democrats in their bill. We have never done this before. When I was the majority leader in the Senate, we sat down with Republicans four times, and there was never a shutdown.\u201d<\/p>\n Parties blame each other<\/strong><\/p>\n A meeting between President Trump and leaders of both parties two days before the shutdown also failed to yield a result. Schumer reported that he told Trump during the meeting that canceling ACA subsidies would increase the average American family’s monthly healthcare costs by $400, but the President seemed to be hearing this figure for the first time.<\/p>\n Vice President JD Vance accused the opposition of \u201cholding the government hostage.\u201d<\/p>\n House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries also placed the responsibility on the ruling party, saying, \u201cIf a shutdown happens, it will be because Republicans decided to stop the government and harm the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n Millions of employees and many services will be affected<\/strong><\/p>\n Unlike in previous shutdowns, the Trump administration has instructed federal agencies to prepare mass layoff plans in advance. According to the\u00a0Washington Post<\/em>, these cuts will not affect the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, or immigration agencies.<\/p>\n In an interview with\u00a0NBC News<\/em>, President Trump said the layoffs could be permanent, though he would prefer to avoid that outcome. This situation could effectively implement Trump’s policy of downsizing the state apparatus.<\/p>\n During the shutdown, a total of approximately 4 million federal employees will be without pay. The US Department of Health and Human Services will place 41% of its staff on unpaid leave, along with 64% of the CDC’s staff and 75% of the NIH’s staff.<\/p>\n The Pentagon announced that 334,900 of its 741,500 civilian personnel will be sent on unpaid leave, while 223,900 will continue to work without pay alongside 2 million soldiers. The fact that air traffic controllers and police officers will also work without pay could lead to flight delays.<\/p>\n The shutdown will also halt lending by the Small Business Administration and suspend federal housing loan processing. Unlike civil servants, contract workers in services such as cleaning and security will not receive back pay. Members of Congress, however, will continue to receive their salaries during this period.<\/p>\n What does a ‘government shutdown’ mean in the US?<\/strong><\/p>\n In the US, a “government shutdown” means the federal government stops its expenditures when Congress fails to pass a budget bill or a temporary funding resolution for the new fiscal year.<\/p>\n When a budget impasse occurs, federal agencies are prohibited from spending money. Most public employees are sent on mandatory leave and do not receive a salary. However, employees in critical roles\u2014such as healthcare personnel, border guards, soldiers, and air traffic controllers\u2014must continue to work, though they do not receive their pay until the crisis ends.<\/p>\n National parks and museums close, visa and passport processing slows down, research projects, public services, and administrative processes are disrupted, and financial markets can be affected by the uncertainty.<\/p>\n The shutdown continues until Congress agrees on a budget or passes a temporary funding bill.<\/p>\n This has happened more than 20 times in US history. The longest shutdown lasted 35 days during Donald Trump’s presidency (2018\u20132019).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The federal government in the United States ceased operations as of October 1, after Congress failed to approve the budget for the new fiscal year. The shutdown, which began at 7:01 AM Turkish time, suspended the spending authority of government agencies, and most civil servants were placed on unpaid leave. Those in critical roles, such […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11627,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[13452,7619,2543,42,1081,319,13455,13453,3489,13451,503,1080,13454,13450],"class_list":["post-11626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-america","tag-affordable-care-act-aca","tag-budget-impasse","tag-chuck-schumer","tag-congress","tag-democrats","tag-donald-trump","tag-essential-services","tag-federal-employees","tag-federal-government","tag-fiscal-year","tag-headline","tag-republicans","tag-unpaid-leave","tag-us-government-shutdown"],"yoast_head":"\n