The U.S. government has shut down after Congress failed to approve funding. Non-essential services are on hold, thousands of federal workers are left unpaid, and both parties blame each other for the deadlock.
What is a government shutdown?
U.S. Congress is responsible for approving funding for 438 government agencies before 1 October, the start of the new budget year.
When the deadline to agree on the new budget plan is missed, lawmakers often pass short-term bills to keep the government open while continuing work on a full budget.
Democrats and Republicans frequently disagree on how the money should be spent, and talks often go down to the last minute. If no agreement is reached by the deadline, the government shuts down.
What happens now?
If no deal is reached, non-essential government work comes to a halt. Republicans blame the Democrats for blocking a “fair” bill, while Democrats say they were left out of talks and criticise the bill for excluding key healthcare programmes.
These political disputes have intensified under President Donald Trump, who has cut government agencies, reduced staff, and withheld funds approved by Congress.
Who is affected?
The consequences of a complete shutdown affects the entire country. Non-essential federal operations are suspended, and while essential workers remain on the job, they won’t receive pay.
Thousands more, including those in science, administration, and support roles, are on unpaid leave.
This week, more than 150,000 federal workers are also set to leave after accepting a buyout, the largest exit in 80 years.
Key services such as food aid, preschool programmes, student loan processing, food inspections, and national parks are now on hold. Airlines have warned of possible delays due to reduced staffing.
Republicans and Democrats trade blame
Democrats criticise Republicans for not including additional healthcare subsidies in the spending bill, while President Trump blamed the Democrats, warning that the shutdown could lead to what he described as “irreversible” actions.
Though he didn’t elaborate, Trump has recently discussed downsizing the federal workforce, a move that could materialize as the shutdown continues.
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Youth-led protests demanding better education and healthcare in Morocco escalated into violent clashes with security forces on Tuesday evening, marking the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations across several cities.
The pro-independence coalition Kanak and Socialist National Liberation (FLNKS) has formally withdrawn its signatures from the so-called “Accord de Bougival”, accusing the French state of misrepresentation and “brute force” tactics in New Caledonia’s decolonisation process.
NATO navies are ramping up its defence in the Baltic and North Seas as Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of deceptive vessels grows rapidly, raising fears of espionage and sabotage against critical infrastructure.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
Youth-led protests demanding better education and healthcare in Morocco escalated into violent clashes with security forces on Tuesday evening, marking the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations across several cities.
The pro-independence coalition Kanak and Socialist National Liberation (FLNKS) has formally withdrawn its signatures from the so-called “Accord de Bougival”, accusing the French state of misrepresentation and “brute force” tactics in New Caledonia’s decolonisation process.
NATO navies are ramping up its defence in the Baltic and North Seas as Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” of deceptive vessels grows rapidly, raising fears of espionage and sabotage against critical infrastructure.
The Pentagon recommitted itself in a statement on Tuesday to scaling back its military mission in Iraq, a process that a U.S. official said will see Baghdad command efforts to combat remnants of Islamic State inside its own country.
U.S. stock index futures fell on Wednesday as investors assessed the implications of the federal government shutdown, which threatens to disrupt the release of key economic data and complicate the Federal Reserve's policy path.
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