The US federal government has entered a shutdown after senators failed to agree on a last-minute funding bill, forcing non-essential services to close and placing up to 750,000 federal workers on unpaid furlough.
Essential personnel, including law enforcement and military officers, are required to continue working, many without immediate pay.
The deadlock arose after the Republican-controlled Senate failed to secure the 60 votes needed to pass a short-term funding measure, known as a clean continuing resolution (CR).
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With only 53 Republican seats, the party needed Democratic support but faced pushback as Democrats pressed for guarantees on healthcare policies, including subsidies for low-income insurance and a reversal of Trump administration Medicaid cuts.
President Donald Trump had earlier threatened “irreversible” mass firings of federal workers if the shutdown went ahead, while Democrats accused the administration of incompetence, the BBC reported.
Senate Republican Whip John Thune insisted the party would not be “taken hostage,” while Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of lying to the American people.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said more than 200,000 security personnel will work without pay, calling the situation a “Democrat-forced crisis.”
CBS News reporting indicated that up to 258,000 Homeland Security employees are expected to be exempt from furloughs.
Air travel is also expected to feel the strain. Airlines for America, a trade group representing carriers, warned that unpaid or furloughed staff could slow operations, recalling the 2018-19 shutdown when staff shortages and sick calls caused airport delays.
The political fallout was immediate. California Governor Gavin Newsom derided Trump as “a very weak man who can’t even do stairs,” while House Democrats, including Bill Foster and Joe Morelle, accused Republicans of failing in their duty to govern despite controlling the White House and Congress.
Republicans countered with accusations that Democrats were “putting illegal aliens first” and “putting American workers’ paychecks at risk.”
The Congressional Budget Office projected the shutdown will cost $400 million per day in lost wages for furloughed workers.
Members of Congress will continue to receive their salaries, as mandated by the Constitution, while military personnel must work without pay until the government reopens.
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Government shutdowns have become more frequent in recent decades. Trump’s first term saw three shutdowns, including the record 35-day impasse of 2018-19.
Bill Clinton endured a 21-day standoff in 1995, while Barack Obama faced a 16-day shutdown in 2013 over the Affordable Care Act.
Ronald Reagan oversaw eight brief shutdowns during the 1980s.
The current crisis will persist until Congress agrees on a new funding bill, with each party blaming the other for prolonging the impasse.
