US government shutdown starts

The U.S. government is suspending operations as the U.S. Senate failed to pass either of two bills to continue funding the government to prevent a shutdown. This was reported by CNN.

It is noted that this is the first shutdown in the United States since 2019 and the third under the presidency of Donald Trump. It began at midnight from September 30 to October 1 local time (07:00 am Kyiv time).

During this period, government agencies are prohibited from spending money, most civil servants are sent on unpaid leave, and those whose functionality is considered critical will work without pay.

On Tuesday, the Senate first rejected the Democratic Party's bill to extend funding by a majority vote, as Democrats do not have a majority in the Senate, and then failed to pass the Republican Party's bill, as Republicans have a majority, but it is not large enough.

What caused the shutdown:

The main dispute was over healthcare spending, with Democrats insisting on USD 350 billion in subsidies for Obamacare and reversing USD 1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, which provides healthcare to the poor and disabled. The Republicans hoped that as the shutdown deadline approached, their opponents would make concessions. As a result, the parties did not reach a compromise.

The last shutdown in the United States occurred during Trump's previous presidential term and lasted a record 35 days. In 2024, under the presidency of Joe Biden, Congress managed to prevent a shutdown at the last minute by approving a bill to partially fund federal agencies for USD 467.5 billion.

As a reminder, in 2019, Trump announced an agreement to end the shutdown.