Washington, Oct 1 — The United States government has officially shut down after lawmakers failed to reach a consensus on a funding bill, cutting resources to federal departments and halting several services.
On Tuesday, Senate Democrats blocked Republican attempts to pass the spending bill, deepening the stalemate. Democratic leaders met President Donald Trump on Monday but talks collapsed without a breakthrough. Hours later, Trump shared an AI generated video mocking House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, intensifying the political confrontation.
Trump blamed Democrats for the deadlock, saying he “didn’t see them bend even a little bit,” and warned of federal layoffs during the shutdown. “When you shut it down, you have to do layoffs, we’d be laying off a lot of people,” he said.
The Democrats are demanding a reversal of healthcare cuts included in the “Big Beautiful Bill” passed earlier this year. Republicans, however, refused to concede, proposing instead to extend funding until November 21. Although the GOP controls both the Senate and the House, they remain seven votes short of the 60 needed in the Senate to pass the bill.
This marks the first US government shutdown in seven years the previous one, under Trump’s first presidency, lasted 35 days, making it the longest in American history.
While essential services such as border protection, air traffic control, and law enforcement will continue, critical programs like food assistance, government-funded pre-schools, food inspections, and operations at national parks are expected to be hit. If the shutdown drags on, air travel could face major disruptions as unpaid workers may refuse to report for duty.