The U.S. federal government has entered a partial shutdown after the Senate failed to pass a spending bill before the funding deadline at 12:01 a.m. EDT (04:01 GMT) on Wednesday, disrupting non-essential services and leaving federal workers’ pay uncertain, per Al Jazeera. This is the first shutdown since 2018 and the 15th since 1980, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. The longest shutdown, lasting 34 days, occurred under President Donald Trump’s first term from 2018 to 2019.
President Trump has suggested leveraging the shutdown to shrink the federal workforce, stating on Tuesday at the White House, “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting programs they like.” He implied targeted workers are likely Democrats, saying, “They’re going to be Democrats.”
Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, criticized Trump’s approach, telling Al Jazeera, “He’s threatening federal workers with termination during a shutdown. Much of what he’s proposing, like firing workers with civil service protections, isn’t authorized by Congress.”
Non-essential services, including economic data releases and small business loan approvals, are suspended. Essential workers, such as law enforcement, military personnel, and air traffic controllers, will continue working without pay until funding is restored. Social Security and food assistance programs remain operational. While furloughed workers typically receive back pay after past shutdowns, Trump has hinted at permanent job cuts this time.
The stalemate stems from disputes over healthcare funding, particularly the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). Democrats sought expanded coverage and reversal of Medicaid cuts in Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, while Republicans argued healthcare should be addressed separately. On Tuesday, two competing Senate bills failed: a Republican plan to extend funding until November 21 (55–45, short of the 60 votes needed) and a Democratic proposal to fund the government through October with an additional $1 trillion for healthcare (47–53, with no Republican votes).
Post-deadline, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of “plunging us into a shutdown rather than fixing their healthcare crisis.” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries claimed Republicans voted to “hurt everyday Americans.” The White House called it a “Democrat Shutdown” on social media, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Fox News, “This was unnecessary, done to appease their left base.”
Gerald Epstein, co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, said, “It’s hard to predict Trump’s next move. Will Democrats give in? Not likely soon.”
With both sides dug in, the shutdown jeopardizes government operations and the jobs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
