Deep party differences stopped Congress and the White House from striking a financial agreement, forcing the U.S. government to shut down most of its activities on Wednesday.
This might be the beginning of a protracted and exhausting confrontation that could result in the loss of thousands of federal jobs.
While agencies warned that the 15th government shutdown since 1981 would prevent the release of a highly anticipated September employment report, slow air travel, suspend scientific research, withhold pay from U.S. troops, and result in the furlough of 750,000 federal workers at a daily cost of $400 million, there was no obvious way out of the stalemate.
Republican President Donald Trump cautioned congressional Democrats that a shutdown might pave the way for additional job cuts.
Trump’s campaign to drastically restructure the federal government is already on track to fire some 300,000 employees by December.
flight traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees—crucial staff who work through shutdowns—would be concerned about delayed salaries, Vice President JD Vance said in an uncommon warning about flight safety.
“If you’re flying today, I hope, of course, you arrive safely and on time, but you may not arrive on time because the TSA and the air traffic controllers are not getting paid today,” Vance stated on Fox News.
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which lasted for more than 35 days during Trump’s first term in 2018 and 2019, was partially brought to an end by flight delays brought on by air traffic controllers reporting sick.
A stopgap bill to fund the government through November 21 was rejected by Senate Democrats on Tuesday because Republicans refused to include an extension of health benefits for millions of Americans that are set to expire at the end of the year.
Republicans argue that each issue needs to be handled separately.
Both parties were feigning blame in an attempt to gain an edge in the 2026 midterm elections, which will decide who controls Congress.
On Wednesday, Senate Republican Leader John Thune planned a second round of votes in an attempt to get Democrats to split.
SLIPS IN THE WALL STREET
At a time when the economy was unclear, the closure was expected to cause Wall Street investors more anxiety by delaying the delivery of some government economic reports.
Gold hit a new high, Asian equities faltered, and Wall Street began lower as investors feared the impact of job losses and delays in the publication of important data.
In comparison to its major counterparts, the dollar was close to a one-week low.
On the government funding front, $1.7 trillion for agency operations—roughly 25% of the government’s $7 trillion budget—is at stake.
The majority of the remaining funds are used for interest payments on the mounting $37.5 trillion debt as well as health and retirement programs.
With Trump and White House officials threatening to punish Democrats with cuts to government services and the federal payroll, independent analysts warn the shutdown may extend longer than previous budget-related closures.
“Donald Trump and Republicans have shut down the government because they don’t want to provide healthcare to working-class Americans,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated during an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Democrats had frequently supported similar budget packages in previous years, according to Thune.
“The fact that President Trump is now in the White House is what has changed. That’s the point of this. Politics is at play here. Additionally, the South Dakota Republican told reporters that there was no compelling justification for a federal shutdown.
Legislative regulations require 60 of the 100 senators to support spending legislation, despite the fact that Trump’s Republicans control majorities in both chambers of Congress.
This implies that a funding bill must be approved by at least seven Democrats. Three of them supported the Republican bill on Tuesday.
HEALTHCARE FUNDING IS THE DEMOCRATS’ FOCUS.
Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, which will decide control of Congress for the last two years of Trump’s tenure, Democrats are feeling pressure from their irate fans to pull off a rare victory.
They have an opportunity to come together around a cause that appeals to voters thanks to the healthcare movement.
In addition to the prolonged health subsidies, Democrats have worked to make sure that, should they become law, Trump will not be able to reverse those provisions.
Democrats are wondering why they should support for any spending legislation at all since Trump has refused to spend billions of dollars that Congress has approved.
The polarized political environment in the United States may make it more difficult for party leaders to come to an agreement to reopen the government, which would probably enrage their most outspoken supporters, according to Robert Pape, a professor at the University of Chicago.
“The rules of politics are radically changing, and we can’t know for sure where all of this is going to end,” he stated.
