WASHINGTON: The U.S. government partially shut down on Wednesday after the Senate failed to agree on a stopgap spending bill, triggering the first federal funding lapse since 2018.
The shutdown, the first since 2018, started just after midnight on Wednesday. It means many government offices and services will remain closed until a deal is reached. Non-essential operations, including the release of economic data and approval of small-business loans, are suspended.
Essential workers such as military personnel, air traffic controllers, and law enforcement officers will continue working but will not receive pay until funding is restored. Social security payments and food assistance programs will continue.
The stalemate reflects deep divisions in Congress. Republicans pushed for a short-term funding measure, while Democrats demanded additional provisions to expand healthcare programs. Both proposals failed to secure enough support in late-night Senate votes.
The White House has instructed agencies to prepare plans for furloughs and possible job cuts. More than 11,000 aviation workers and 40% of staff at the Department of Health and Human Services are expected to be placed on leave, with major reductions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The economic cost of the shutdown will depend on how long the funding impasse continues. The last shutdown in 2018–2019 lasted 34 days, the longest in U.S. history.
President Donald Trump suggested he could use the shutdown to push for permanent cuts to the federal workforce. “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting programmes they like,” he said, adding that “a lot of good” could come from the closure.
Democrats accused Republicans of forcing a crisis to block healthcare funding, while Republicans argued Democrats tied unrelated provisions to emergency legislation. Senate Republicans’ bill to fund the government until Nov. 21 fell short of the 60 votes needed, as did a Democratic plan to extend funding through October with more than $1 trillion in additional healthcare spending.
The shutdown, the 15th since 1980, has left hundreds of thousands of federal employees facing unpaid leave or working without pay. The longest closure, lasting 34 days, occurred in 2018–19 during Trump’s first term.
