The US government shut down on October 1, 2025, due to congressional failure to pass appropriations legislation for the fiscal year 2026. The shutdown resulted from partisan disagreements between President Donald Trump's Republican Party and the Democrats over federal spending levels, foreign aid rescissions, and health insurance subsidies. Republicans controlled both chambers but lacked the 60 votes needed in the Senate to overcome a filibuster and pass a funding bill. Democrats opposed the Republican bill primarily because it included cuts to Medicaid and did not extend Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies. Both parties proposed funding bills that failed, leading to a halt in non-essential government operations and furloughing approximately 900,000 federal employees, with another 700,000 working without pay.
Key issues causing the shutdown:
- Democrats insisted on extending health care subsidies and reversing Medicaid cuts.
- Republicans sought to reduce federal government spending and limit continuation of those subsidies.
- The Senate votes on both Democratic and Republican proposals failed along party lines.
- President Trump and congressional leaders met but could not reach a compromise.
This government shutdown is the first since the 2018–2019 shutdown and the third under President Trump, signaling an ongoing deep division in budget priorities and political stalemate. Essential services such as Medicare, Medicaid, and transportation security continued, but many agencies faced partial or full suspensions, and numerous federal workers lost pay pending a resolution.
