The United States is now deep into what has become the longest government shutdown in its history and its effects are rippling across every level of the country’s economy. What began on October 1, after Congress failed to break a stalemate over federal funding negotiations, has now entered the 38th day with no political resolution in sight. As the shutdown drags on, roughly 700,000 federal employees are working without pay, another 670,000 have been furloughed and tens of millions of Americans are experiencing disruptions to essential services.
We will break down the scale of the shutdown, the political deadlock causing it and the consequences unfolding across the country.
Why this shutdown is different?
Since the modern federal budget process began in 1976, the US has experienced 20 separate funding gaps. Most lasted only a few days. Only three stretched beyond two weeks and all of those occurred within the last 30 years.
This one, however, is unprecedented in both length and impact. While Republicans control both chambers of Congress, they lack the 60 Senate votes needed to pass a spending bill due to the filibuster rule. The filibuster is a tactic that lets even a single senator stall legislation simply by refusing to stop talking or by using procedural roadblocks. What was once a rarity has become the minority party’s most powerful shield, because most bills now need 60 senators to agree to end debate. Without those 60 votes, debate can stretch on indefinitely.
Democrats are leveraging this to push for an extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year and could leave millions uninsured. Republicans insist they will discuss subsidies only after the government reopens.
The result is a complete impasse. The Senate has attempted and failed 14 times to advance the House-approved stopgap funding bill. The House has not been in session since the shutdown began.
In Numbers: Impact of US federal govt shutdown
Over 670,000: According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, more than 670,000 federal employees have been furloughed without pay since October 1. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that furloughs alone represent $400 million in lost daily compensation
730,000: About 730,000 employees deemed essential continue to report to work despite receiving no paychecks. Hundreds of thousands of families have now missed two consecutive pay cycles. Such employees include air traffic controllers, TSA security officers, border agents, among others
4,000: During the shutdown, the Trump administration has sent “reduction in force” notices to more than 4,000 federal workers across seven agencies. A federal judge has now blocked these layoffs indefinitely while legal challenges proceed
42 million: One of the most severe consequences emerged on November 1, when 42 million Americans were cut off from their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. A group of 25 states petitioned a federal court to compel the Department of Agriculture to release November benefits, but the US Supreme Court issued an emergency order that allowed the administration to temporarily withhold the funds
$9.2 billion: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said that keeping SNAP running in November would cost $9.2 billion, CBS reported. The USDA’s contingency fund contains around $5 billion, but the administration argues it does not have the legal authority to use it without congressional approval, the report further said
$7 billion: The Congressional Budget Office estimated a 1 percent drop in GDP if the closure lasts four weeks and a 2 percent decline if it stretches to eight weeks. Even after the government reopens, not all of this damage will be recovered. The CBO warns that the economy would suffer $7 billion in permanent GDP loss following a four-week shutdown and $14 billion in permanent loss after eight weeks
$130 million: President Trump revealed that a private donation of $130 million, reportedly from billionaire Timothy Mellon, was helping pay military salaries — a stopgap measure far below what is required to fund 1.3 million active-duty service members
Political blame game intensifies
Republicans argue Democrats are jeopardising national operations by refusing to negotiate unless ACA subsidies are guaranteed. Democrats insist Republicans created the shutdown by refusing to compromise earlier in the year.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul posted a photo of a cancellation-filled airport board on social media, and wrote, “The GOP shutdown has grounded America, just in time for the holidays!”
For millions of Americans — from families relying on food stamps to federal workers missing paychecks to travelers navigating airport chaos — the human and economic toll of the shutdown continues to deepen.