WASHINGTON, Oct 1 – The U.S. federal government shut down at midnight after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to reach agreement on a funding measure, forcing hundreds of thousands of federal employees off the job and straining essential services.
The lapse in appropriations, the first shutdown since 2018, came despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House. The Senate late Tuesday rejected dueling stopgap bills from Republicans and Democrats, leaving no path forward before the midnight deadline.
Immediate impact
About 750,000 federal workers will be furloughed daily, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said, while air traffic controllers, TSA agents, federal law enforcement and members of the military must continue working without pay.
The CBO estimates back pay for furloughed workers will add $400 million to taxpayers’ costs once the government reopens.
National parks will remain partially open but with limited services. Medicare and Social Security payments will continue, though new applications may face delays. The Department of Health and Human Services expects to furlough 41% of its staff; the Education Department projects as much as 87%.
Agencies began implementing shutdown plans after White House budget director Russell Vought ordered department heads to “execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.”
Political fault lines
Republicans sought a short-term extension of current spending levels through Nov. 21. Democrats demanded additional provisions, including subsidies to blunt health insurance premium hikes and guarantees that Trump will not unilaterally freeze congressionally approved spending.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said fissures were appearing among Democrats, noting three members of the Democratic caucus backed the GOP plan. “The cracks in the Democrats are already showing,” he said.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of forcing the shutdown by rejecting bipartisan talks. “They’ve got to sit down and negotiate with Democrats to come to a bill that both parties can support,” he told reporters.
Trump and the White House
Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the funding lapse and suggested the shutdown could allow him to dismiss “many” federal employees permanently – an unprecedented step in modern U.S. shutdowns.
The White House has portrayed Democrats as obstructionists unwilling to accept a “clean” bill. A senior official said the administration expects public opinion to pressure Democrats into relenting.
Trump inflamed tensions Tuesday by posting an artificial intelligence-generated video mocking Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries called the president a coward and challenged him to repeat the remarks in person. White House officials defended the video as humorous and effective in shifting attention.
Public opinion and risks
Both sides appear determined to blame the other. A New York Times poll released Tuesday found 26% of Americans would hold Trump and Republicans chiefly responsible, 19% would blame Democrats, while a third would fault both equally. A Marist University survey showed 38% pointing the finger at Republicans and 27% at Democrats.
Republicans argue Democrats are “taking the government hostage” by demanding policy concessions. Democrats say Republicans are using the shutdown to try to weaken health care and social programs.
The standoff reprises themes from Trump’s first term, when a 34-day shutdown—the longest in U.S. history—stretched from late 2018 into early 2019 over border wall funding.
Outlook
It is unclear how long the shutdown will last. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham predicted it could continue into next week before pressure forces Democrats to bargain. Thune said he hoped rank-and-file Democrats would break with their leadership.
Markets showed little immediate reaction overnight, though prolonged shutdowns have historically weighed on consumer confidence and federal contracting.
With both sides hardening positions, the shutdown underscores the deep political polarization surrounding Trump’s second term. Unless one party alters its stance, the deadlock could extend for days or weeks, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay and services across the country disrupted.
