why did government shut down

The U.S. government shut down on October 1, 2025, due to a failure in Congress to pass funding legislation required to finance the federal government for the new fiscal year. This was caused by partisan disagreements primarily between Republicans and Democrats over federal spending levels, foreign aid rescissions, and health insurance subsidies. Democrats insisted on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, while Republicans demanded a seven-week extension of current funding without those provisions. The deadlock led to a shutdown after the Senate failed to overcome a 60-vote filibuster threshold to pass either party's funding plans. Essential services continued to operate, but roughly 900,000 federal workers were furloughed and another 700,000 worked without pay. Both sides blamed each other for the shutdown impasse.