By Sarah Sankel
Correspondent
The United States government shut down at midnight on Oct. 1 after Congress faced a deadlock regarding the 2026 budget, according to CNN Politics. Many worry that the shutdown could lead to significant problems as all non-essential operations come to a halt and some federal workers face blocked salaries.
Every year, Congress must pass legislation that dictates the government’s budget for the upcoming year. If an agreement is not reached by Oct. 1, a government shutdown occurs, according to Congressman Dwight Evans’ FAQ page.
This year, as lawmakers prepared for 2026, the division between Democratic and Republican proposals was extreme. While the Republicans wanted to continue President Trump’s drastic cuts in federal spending, the Democrats advocated for a larger budget, emphasizing the need for additional healthcare spending, according to BBC News. For a week, both Democrats and Republicans refused to budge, ultimately culminating in the government shutdown.
The last government shutdown took place in 2018, and it was the longest shutdown in American history, lasting 34 days, according to NBC News. However, the shutdown in 2018 was only a partial shutdown, as Congress had already approved funding for certain agencies. Still, the consequences were significant, as 300,000 of the 800,000 employees from affected federal agencies were furloughed, according to CNN News, meaning that the workers were forced to be on unpaid leave.
This time around, many federal employees will be furloughed or expected to work without pay and services are already being put on hold. According to the NY Times, services that have been put on hold include communications from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), assistance for veterans, data collection and economic analysis, civil litigation from the Justice Department, and any new education grants. The same article emphasizes that the longer this shutdown lasts, the more it will negatively affect everyday Americans.
The Economist also emphasizes that economic policymaking will essentially be put to a halt, which could have serious consequences if the shutdown continues.
Many speculate whether the Trump administration could use the shutdown to their advantage. According to the Economist, Russell Vought, who is the director of the Office of Management and Budget and works closely with Trump, “is threatening to use the shutdown to fire thousands of federal workers and gut government programmes.” This would assist Trump in his aim to cut federal spending through the Department of Government Efficiency.
According to the NY Times, on Sept. 30, Trump said that if a government shutdown were to take place, “we can get rid of a lot of things that we didn’t want, and they’d be Democrat things.”
During a press conference, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the negative consequences of a government shutdown, saying that layoffs must, unfortunately, be part of the picture. Vice President JD Vance spoke similarly, according to The Guardian.
Since the shutdown, Democrats have been blaming Republicans, and Republicans have been blaming Democrats. Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer wrote that “the Republican shutdown has just begun because they wouldn’t protect Americans’ healthcare… We’re going to keep fighting for the American people.” Republican House Speaker Mike Johsnon wrote, “Democrats have officially voted to CLOSE the government… How long will Chuck Schumer let this pain go on — for his own selfish reasons?” according to the NY Times.
As of Wednesday, it is uncertain how long the shutdown will last, and lawmakers continue to make proposals and vote. According to the NY Times, the Senate vote on the morning of Oct. 1 was a deadlocked 47-53, with all Republicans rejecting the Democrat proposal. Upcoming proposals are also likely to fail, meaning that the shutdown could last for days, if not weeks.
