The US government partially shut down at midnight on Wednesday, halting many operations amid a heated standoff between President Donald Trump and Democrats over federal funding. With no quick deal in sight, non-essential services across agencies stopped, and thousands of federal workers face furloughs without pay.
Lawmakers from both parties pushed stopgap funding bills to keep things running until November 21, but each one failed in votes. Republicans and Democrats pointed fingers, clashing mainly over cuts to social programs like healthcare. Democrats demanded restoring funding for certain health initiatives, while Republicans argued those changes would add a whopping $1 trillion to costs.
The Republican bill passed the House of Representatives, but Democrats shot it down because it kept those controversial cuts in place. Without a full budget agreement, Congress had to scramble for temporary funding to bridge the gap during negotiations. Another Senate vote was set for later Wednesday, but experts say the odds of breaking the impasse look slim—Republicans hold majorities in both chambers, yet Senate rules require 60 votes to move forward, which they don’t have.
Essential services stayed up and running, including air traffic control, national security, defense operations, immigration processing, and border security. That means travelers and first responders won’t feel the full pinch right away.
Both sides ramped up the blame game. Vice President J.D. Vance slammed the tactics on Fox News, saying, “You don’t shut the government down, you don’t take the government as a hostage, because you want to engage in a negotiation about healthcare costs.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer fired back, accusing Republicans of refusing to negotiate at all. He teamed up with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for a joint statement: “After months of making life harder and more expensive, Donald Trump and Republicans have now shut down the federal government because they do not want to protect the healthcare of the American people.
This marks the first US government shutdown under Trump’s current term, echoing the last one during his previous presidency. That 35-day ordeal from December 2018 to January 2019 stemmed from similar budget battles and cost the economy billions while frustrating everyday Americans. As talks drag on, families and businesses brace for more uncertainty in this ongoing Washington deadlock.
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