US Government Shuts Down After Trump-Congress Budget Clash

The US federal government entered a shutdown early Wednesday after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach an agreement on a budget. Negotiations broke down over Democratic demands for health care funding. Government operations began shutting down at 12:01 AM (0401 GMT) after Senate attempts to approve a short-term funding bill failed, despite the House of Representatives having already passed it. President Trump warned of significant repercussions for Democrats. “So we'd be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected. And they're Democrats, they're going to be Democrats,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. He added, “A lot of good can come down from shutdowns” and indicated he would use the disruption to “get rid of a lot of things we didn't want, and they'd be Democrat things”. Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer posted a video on social media showing a clock counting down to midnight over the US Capitol. “The Republican shutdown has just begun because Republicans wouldn't protect America's health care,” he said. “We are going to keep fighting for the American people”. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Democrats on social media, writing, “How long will Chuck Schumer let this pain go on, for his own selfish reasons? Results: Moms and kids now lose WIC nutrition. Veterans lose health care and suicide prevention programs. FEMA has shortfalls during hurricane season. Soldiers and TSA agents go UNPAID”. Former Democratic vice president Kamala Harris also weighed in, noting that Republicans control both the White House and Congress. “This is their shutdown,” she wrote. The shutdown affects multiple federal departments and agencies. Critical services such as the Postal Service, the military, and welfare programs, including Social Security and food stamps, will continue to operate. However, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that up to 750,000 federal workers could be sent home each day without pay until the shutdown ends. Funding bills in the 100-member Senate require 60 votes for approval, seven more than the Republicans currently control. While Republicans had proposed a short-term extension until late November, Democrats insisted on restoring hundreds of billions in health care funding. Almost all Senate Democrats voted against the seven-week stop-gap measure passed by the House. This marks the first shutdown since the longest in US history, which lasted 35 days during Trump’s previous term nearly seven years ago. Since 1976, the federal government has experienced 21 shutdowns. The duration of the current shutdown remains uncertain.