The U. S. Congress has until Tuesday to pass a funding bill to keep the federal government open or face a partial shutdown. They need to allocate funds to 438 government agencies before October 1, but often fail to meet this deadline and rely on temporary spending bills. If funding lapses, non-essential government work must stop.
Conflicts between Democrats and Republicans often delay negotiations. Under President Trump, tensions have increased as he has reduced the size of government and limited spending, which some Republicans support but Democrats oppose. Republicans control Congress but require support from at least seven Democrats in the Senate to pass spending legislation. Currently, Democrats want any spending bill to extend Affordable Care Act health subsidies, while Republicans prefer to address that issue separately.
Since 1981, there have been 14 government shutdowns, mostly short. The longest was 35 days during Trump’s presidency, causing disruptions like unpaid furloughs for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Essential workers would continue working without pay, though they might be compensated later. Short shutdowns have minimal impact, especially over weekends, but a longer shutdown could harm the economy, which is already facing uncertainty.
In previous shutdowns, such as the one in 2018-2019, about 800,000 of 2.2 million employees were furloughed. The Trump administration kept national parks open during that time but limited services significantly. Each federal agency has plans in place for potential shutdowns.
With information from Reuters
