U.S. Politicians Ensure First Government Shutdown for Six Years
The deadline for the United States Congress to approve federal funding was midnight, and once again, politicians have put America in jeopardy by refusing to agree on a budget. The Republicans and Democrats are locked in a conflict over healthcare subsidies, and while the Republican Party controls Congress, they need the Democrats to pass the funding bill. Today’s standoff could lead to the loss of thousands of federal jobs, as President Trump may well use the shutdown to trim many thousands of jobs from federal agencies. In fact, he has warned Democrats that the shutdown could well clear the path for more redundancies, which will coincide with his push to cut 300,000 federal employees by December of this year.
The current shutdown, the fifteenth since 1981, will suspend scientific research, slow air travel, delay the payment of salaries to United States troops, and lead to enforced holidays for 750,000 federal workers, costing USD 400 million per day. Regarding air travel, Vice President Vance has gone on record saying that essential staff who work through shutdowns, such as air traffic controllers, would be concerned about the non-receipt of paycheques. He warned air travellers that they may not arrive on time, as TSA (Transportation Security Administration) and air traffic controllers would not receive their wages today.
A stopgap measure was proposed to keep the government funded until 21st November 2025. However, this was denied by Democrats, who, according to some commentators, would rather have government employees go unpaid than use the time to come to an agreement over federal funding. Both Republicans and Democrats are throwing accusations, casting blame for the shutdown at each other in the hope of gaining an early advantage in the 2026 midterm elections, where all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 100 seats in the Senate will be up for re-election.
The problem with the funding bill is that the Democrats wish to add USD 1.5 trillion to the bill, primarily to boost healthcare and other funding. They have made it clear that not even a stopgap funding bill will be passed unless their USD 1.5 trillion healthcare funding is included, which, of course, the Republicans have flatly refused. Senior Democratic figures have accused President Trump and the Republicans of not wanting to protect the healthcare of the American people. If Congress does not approve a funding bill and the impasse continues, Obamacare premium tax credits will expire on 31st December 2025, leaving around 20 million people facing sharp premium hikes.
According to many experts, this has descended into a political impasse, with Team Trump saying they have the upper hand over the Democrats because they have rallied the rank and file behind the stopgap bill. The majority leader of the U.S Senate has said that the Democrats will be blamed, just as the GOP (Grand Old Party – Republican) was in 2013 when they engineered a shutdown over repealing Obamacare. However, this time the Democrats are asking for something to be added to the bill. The bottom line is that the Republicans need 60 votes to pass this bill (voted down by 55-45), and unless there is some political give, it appears that America is in for a lengthy shutdown.
