On September 30, at midnight EST, the United States government officially shut down after Congress and the White House failed to reach an agreement on how to extend federal funding. The last shutdown happened at the end of 2018, during President Trump’s first term.
During the shutdown, some federal employees will not be paid. Both Congress and President Trump will still be paid, but essential jobs like Transportation Security Administration (TSA), air traffic controllers, federal law enforcement officers, and the military will have to work without being paid at the time. When the government reopens, these employees will receive the pay for the time they worked during the shutdown.
The shutdown occurred due to a disagreement between parties over a bill funding government services into October. The Democratic Party is refusing to support a Republican bill that they say will make it harder for Americans to afford healthcare.
Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but in the Senate, they need 60 votes to pass a spending bill, which means that Democrats still need to agree with the bill.
Different from the last shut down, the Trump administration has been slashing federal spending and firing people from jobs at a greater rate. This shutdown could let the administration speed up its reductions even more.
At this point, there is no way to tell when the shutdown will end, but the last one lasted for 35 days.
