The US federal government officially entered a shutdown early Wednesday as Congress and President Donald Trump failed to finalize a funding deal.
This marks the first shutdown since the longest on record nearly seven years ago — one that dragged on for 35 days. Moments after the midnight deadline passed, non-essential federal operations were forced to halt, affecting hundreds of thousands of workers across multiple departments and agencies.
Amid acrimonious budget talks, Democrats pushed for greater health care funding, particularly to preserve elements of the Affordable Care Act, while Republicans resisted. Senate Republicans had backed a short-term funding extension until late November, but Democrats in the minority ultimately blocked it.
Trump placed blame squarely on Democrats, warning of large-scale job cuts, and calling the shutdown an opportunity to eliminate “things we didn’t want.” He claimed many of those affected by the shutdown work for or support Democrats.
The shutdown does not touch essential services like the military, the postal system, or key welfare programs such as Social Security and food aid, but up to 750,000 federal employees could be sent home without pay each day until a resolution is reached.
The duration of the shutdown remains unclear. Senate rules require 60 votes to advance funding bills, and Republicans hold fewer seats than that threshold, complicating the path forward. With the Senate on recess for Yom Kippur and the House out for the week, only a narrow window exists for a compromise before the impasse deepens.
