is it true that the government is shutting down

Yes, it is true that the U.S. federal government has shut down as of October 1, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EDT. This shutdown occurred due to congressional inaction on passing appropriations legislation for the 2026 fiscal year, with partisan disagreements over federal spending, foreign aid cuts, and health insurance subsidies. This marks the first federal government shutdown since 2018-2019 and is the twenty-first in modern U.S. history. As a result, around 900,000 federal employees are furloughed, and another 700,000 are working without pay. Essential services like Medicare, Medicaid, TSA, and Amtrak continue, but agencies like the National Institutes of Health and CDC face partial or full suspension of operations. There is currently no quick resolution in sight while President Trump and congressional Democrats blame each other for the shutdown.