A US government shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass funding legislation to finance federal government operations, causing the closure of all non-essential government functions until a budget deal is approved. This leads to furloughs of hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are not paid during the shutdown, while critical services like the FBI, CIA, air traffic control, military, and Social Security payments continue operating. Shutdowns disrupt various services such as national parks, health inspections, disaster relief, and food safety inspections. Due to the political deadlock, essential parts of the government keep functioning but many services are frozen, affecting millions of Americans and putting federal workers temporarily without pay.
The current shutdown began after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on a spending bill, primarily over healthcare funding disagreements. The government shutdown represents the stoppage of many government operations, except for essential personnel who must work without immediate pay. Past shutdowns have led to significant economic costs and inconveniences for the public, including delays in tax refunds, canceled immigration hearings, and impacts on homebuyer loans.
In summary, a government shutdown means federal government agencies lose funding and non-essential services halt, federal workers may be furloughed and unpaid, and various public services are disrupted until Congress resolves the budget impasse and restores funding.
