The U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline. Disagreement stemmed from a deadlock in Congress over Democratic demands over health care — and Republican efforts to kick that can down the road.
At issue are tax credits that have made health insurance through the Affordable Care Act more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. The credits are set to expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t extend them — which would more than double what subsidized enrollees currently pay for health insurance premiums, according to a KFF analysis.
Here’s the latest:
Trump assures US soybean farmers that he’ll help them in talks with China’s leader
The U.S. president on his social media site said that China isn’t buying American soybeans for “negotiating” reasons in trade talks.
Trump repeated his promise to divert some tariff revenues to help soybean farmers as he said that talks at the end of October with China’s leader Xi Jinping will focus on this issue.
“I’ll be meeting with President Xi, of China, in four weeks, and Soybeans will be a major topic of discussion,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
State fiscal officer says health insurance inaction in Congress has immediate consequences
Minnesota’s state auditor is warning that Congress’ inaction on the looming year-end expiration of health insurance tax credits is straining people in her state now.
The expiring Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies, which Democrats are demanding be extended before they vote for a funding measure to reopen the government, are already forcing people to make tough decisions, the Democratic Julia Blaha said in a call with reporters Wednesday.
For example, she said, rural Minnesotans staring down high health insurance premium spikes next year due to the expiring credits may be forced to move to cities to earn higher salaries to afford their coverage.
“If you are trying to decide whether you can live in that home your dad built or you have to move miles away from everyone you know, you’re feeling it now,” Blaha said. “Frankly, at this point, there’s going to be damage whether or not these are extended.”
Republicans have offered to negotiate with Democrats on extending the subsidies after a stopgap funding measure is signed.
White House press secretary Leavitt rejects Pope Leo’s concerns about treatment of immigrants by Trump administration
Leavitt disputed the concerns raised by Pope Leo about the treatment of immigrants, saying that she “would reject there is inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants in the United States under this administration.”
Leavitt pivoted to say that the inhumane treatment was caused by immigrants in the country illegally and blamed the Biden administration for the border crossings.
There have been concerns about the treatment of immigrants in holding facilities and instances in which there was a lack of due process in deportation proceedings. But Leavitt said the administration is acting with absolute humanity in its approach.
“This administration is trying to enforce our nation’s laws in the most humane way possible,” Leavitt said.
Vance defends Trump meme of House Democratic leader in a sombrero as ‘joking’
Vice President JD Vance played down Trump’s posting on social media of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York in sombrero, saying it was possible to negotiate in good faith even while trolling the other side.
“The president’s joking and we’re having a good time,” Vance said at the White House news briefing.
Vance said it’s possible to “have some fun at the absurdity of the Democrats” and questioned Jeffries calling the post of him in a sombrero as racist.
“I’ll tell Hakeem Jeffries right now, I make this solemn promise to you that if you help us reopen the government, the sombrero memes will stop,” Vance said.
States sue Trump Administration over restrictions on crime victim grants
Twenty states and the District of Columbia sued President Donald Trump’s administration Wednesday over a policy that bars using money for programs for victims of crime and violence against women for services to those who are in the country illegally.
The states contend that the requirement violates the Constitution because it was put into place after grants were rewarded. They also say that it could strain service providers to determine the immigration status of victims and witnesses. And doing so would cause delays in getting people help and discourage some people from reporting abuse.
The filing was made in federal court in Rhode Island.
Vance says he doesn’t think ‘it’s going to be that long a shutdown’
Asked if he thinks the government will stay shutdown for a lengthy period of time, Vance responded, “I can’t predict.”
“But I don’t think it’s going to be that long a shutdown,” the vice president added.
He also suggested that moderate Democrats might already be “cracking” and willing to defy their party’s congressional leadership and side with Republicans and vote to reopen the government.
Vance hits ‘Chuck Schumer/AOC’ wing of the Democratic Party
In his surprise appearance in the White House press briefing room, Vance repeatedly tied Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, to the far-left wing of the party and accused them of shutting down the government.
“The Chuck Schumer/AOC wing of the Democratic Party shut down the government because they said to us, we will open the government” but only if Republicans give billions of dollars of health care coverage to immigrants here illegally, Vance asserted. He was referring to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Vance said Democrats are taking essential federal government services “hostage” and added that “our troops are not getting paid starting today because of the Chuck Schumer wing of the Democratic Party.”
The vice president also argued that Schumer was taking this hardline stance because he was afraid of a potential primary challenge from Ocasio-Cortez. He is up for reelection in 2028.
Trump’s budget director Vought briefing House GOP on shutdown
The Office of Management and Budget has told federal agencies to plan not just furloughs of government workers, but mass reductions in force.
Director Russ Vought was briefing Republicans on a private call about the shutdown, according to a person unauthorized to to discuss the closed meeting.
Vance to join White House briefing
The vice president is coming to the White House briefing room momentarily to speak to the press.
The press corps was scheduled to have a briefing with press secretary Karoline Leavitt Wednesday afternoon. But shortly after the vice presidential seal went up on the lectern in the briefing room, Leavitt wrote on social media: “I will be joined by Vice President @JDVance during the White House Press Briefing. Tune in!”
Key Senate Republican says one year ACA tax credit extension being discussed
South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds emerged from a large bipartisan gathering on the Senate floor saying that “a lot of people would really like to find a path forward.”
“But it requires, first of all, to get the government open again,” said Rounds. “And the proposal on the table is 45 days. And then we start working on the issues that divide us.”
Rounds said that the “most reasonable” way to deal with ACA tax credits is to extend them for one year, “but with an agreement at the same time to get it back to pre-pandemic over the next two years.”
Rounds added that any deal is “not going to happen for a while yet.”
Senate still at an impasse, but some hopeful for a deal
On the heels of a failed vote to reopen the government, some rank-and-file senators were leaving the Senate floor with a hint of optimism after they discussed an idea to extend tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans by one year.
“I’m glad we’re talking,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat.
A deal is still a long way off from being struck. Any negotiation requires ironing out details and crucially, it would require sign off from House Republican leadership and President Donald Trump.
White House insists Cook was ‘lawfully removed’ from the Fed Reserve board
Officials are looking forward to when the Supreme Court hears the case early next year.
“President Trump lawfully removed Lisa Cook for cause from the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. We look forward to ultimate victory after presenting our oral arguments before the Supreme Court in January,” said White House spokesperson Kush Desai.
Government funding bill fails
A GOP bill to fund the government mostly at current levels has failed for a second day in the Senate.
The bill fell along a similar vote pattern as Tuesday night as most Democrats continued to hold out and demand that Congress take up health care benefits.
Huddle on the Senate floor grows
A huddle between rank-and-file senators — both Republicans and Democrats — has only grown as they engage in a long conversation on the Senate floor.
The huddle has been spurred by Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, who has floated an idea to extend tax credits for Affordable Care Act health plans for one year.
The huddle has grown to nearly a dozen senators.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Jeanne Shaheen in another long talk
Two women who are among the Senate’s most likely to work across the aisle — Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen — are engaged in another long conversation in the Senate chamber.
Shaheen also spoke with Murkowski on Tuesday night before casting her vote against the GOP bill to keep the government open. Shaheen has made it clear she does not want a government shutdown, but at the same time, she is pushing for an extension of tax credits for health plans under the Affordable Care Act.
When the Senate hits an impasse like this, across-the-aisle relationships become crucial
Federal department websites adopt divergent and sometimes partisan messaging strategies on government shutdown
Federal department websites adopt divergent — and at times partisan — strategies in public messaging on government shutdown
“The Radical Left in Congress shut down the government. HUD will use available resources to help Americans in need,” reads a message greeting visitors to the official website of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“Due to the Radical Left Democrat shutdown, this government website will not be updated during the funding lapse. President Trump has made it clear he wants to keep the government open and support those who feed, fuel, and clothe the American people,” reads another message on the Agriculture Department’s official website.
“Democrats have shut down the government,” reads a pop up message at the top of the Justice Department’s website.
Websites for the Commerce, State and Transportation Departments included notices that webpages may experience delayed updates due to “a lapse in appropriations” but did not include references ascribing partisan blame.
Agencies including the Treasury and Health and Human Services Departments did not immediately display any references to the shutdown.
White House hits Democrats over the government shutdown
The homepage for the White House website has added a red banner running across the top with, “Democrat Shutdown,” and a “Watch Now” button.
Click on the button and viewers will see a video montage of various Senate Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, decrying the use of government shutdowns as a negotiating tactic.
The video is also being played on a loop in the White House press briefing room.
The homepage also has a clock ticking off the hours, minutes and seconds that have passed since the shutdown began early Wednesday.
Government funding bill poised to fail
Republicans’ bill that would reopen the government looks like its going to fail again in the Senate.
It would need at least 60 votes to advance to a final vote, but over 40 Democrats have already cast votes against it.
While senators can change while the vote is open, so far there has been no movement on the bill. The only members of the Democratic Caucus who voted for the bill are the same from Tuesday night.
No movement so far among senators on reopening the government
So far, the Senate vote to advance the Republicans’ bill that would reopen the government has fallen along the same voting pattern as it did when it failed Tuesday night.
The same three members of the Democratic Caucus who voted for it — Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, John Fetterman and Angus King — have voted for it again. But no other Democrat has.
Democrats say Trump needs to be in the room on shutdown negotiations
House Democratic leaders say President Trump will need to be in the room when it comes to any possible agreement to end the government shutdown.
“I don’t think we trust any deal without Donald Trump in the room as part of it,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic Caucus. “House Republicans have proven that even if they agree to something, they have to go back to him to bless it.”
Aguilar also said Republicans need to engage with Democrats to fund the government.
“We are saying ‘let’s avoid this shutdown, let’s end this and let’s have conversations about what’s necessary to fix the health care crisis that you have created,’” Aguilar said.
GOP senator huddles with Democrats on the Senate floor
Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, has attracted a huddle of Democratic senators in the chamber.
Rounds has been floating an idea to extend tax credits for health care plans offered under the Affordable Care Act for one year before they’re ramped down to levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Democratic funding proposal fails in the Senate, now on to the GOP bill
A proposal from Democrats to reopen the government and extend health care benefits has failed on a 47-53 party line vote. Now senators will be voting whether to advance Republicans’ proposal to keep funding mostly at current levels for seven weeks.
The bill also failed Tuesday night, but Republican leaders are hoping they can get a few more Democrats to vote for the proposal.
Here’s the members of the Democratic Caucus who voted for the GOP bill Tuesday night:
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania
Sen. Angus S. King Jr. of Maine
Senate Democrats’ government funding proposal poised to fail
The Senate is voting on a proposal from Democrats that would reopen the government as well as enact their priorities on health care, but it’s failing along party lines.
More than 50 GOP senators have already voted against the legislation, meaning it will fall well short of the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate.
Lawmakers will next vote on the Republican proposal that would keep government funding mostly at current levels, but no Democrat has publicly revealed they will change their vote from Tuesday night, when the legislation failed.
State Department boosts furlough-exempted employees by more than 6,000 during shutdown
The State Department has issued revised guidance regarding the impact of the government shutdown on its employees, boosting the number of furlough-exempted staffers by more than 6,000.
In a document published early Wednesday, the department said 16,864 direct-hire U.S.-based employees would not be subject to the furlough, up from 10,344 that it had identified as exempt on Monday. The reason for the change wasn’t given. The revised shutdown plan also raised the total estimate of U.S.-based direct-hire employees from 26,995 to 27,300.
The revision means 10,436 department employees in the U.S. will be furloughed during the shutdown.
There are still no plans for permanent layoffs at the department as a result of the shutdown and all U.S. embassies and consulates will remain open, with passport and visa services continuing uninterrupted.
Across the aisle conversations on the Senate floor
The Senate chamber is being closely watched, especially for conversations among lawmakers from opposing parties.
While senators often engage in friendly banter or discussions on unrelated business, during crucial votes the Senate chamber becomes a key spot for negotiation, persuasion and bipartisan relationship building.
During the vote series Tuesday night that set up the government shutdown, a few Democrats engaged in talks with their Republican colleagues. A few Democrats, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, were thought to be waffling on their votes against the GOP’s government funding bill and spoke with their Republican counterparts on the Senate floor.
Senate vote opens on Democrat’s government funding proposal
Senators are making their way into the chamber to vote on a Democratic proposal that would reopen the government as well as extend health care benefits.
The bill has failed mostly along party lines each of the times it has previously come up for a vote.
Empty Capitol halls mark the first day of the government shutdown
While tourists bustled outside the U.S. Capitol and a group of young children gathered on the steps Wednesday morning, the halls inside were quiet and mostly empty, a stark sign of the first day of the federal government shutdown.
Public tours of the U.S. Capitol — and the Capitol Visitor Center — will remain suspended until government funding resumes.
Supreme Court lets Lisa Cook remain as a Federal Reserve governor for now
The court declined to act on the Trump administration’s effort to immediately remove her from the central bank.
In a brief unsigned order, the high court said it would hear arguments in January over President Trump’s effort to force Cook off the Fed board.
GOP leaders recount past Democratic warnings about shutdowns
Republicans at a Capitol news conference recounted Democratic lawmakers’ warnings over the years about the damage government shutdowns cause.
“They always said that shutting the government down would be dangerous, destructive, selfish and irresponsible,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said. “And suddenly, now they’ve changed their tune. Don’t buy it. The American people are not buying it.”
Republicans used the news conference to try and put pressure on Democrats to pass a short-term spending bill that generally funds the government at current levels for a few more weeks.
But Democrats are insisting the measure include provisions that would keep health insurance premiums from soaring for millions of Americans who purchase coverage through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. Enhanced tax credits that help make the coverage more affordable expire at the end of the year unless Congress acts.
Thune says Senate could be one vote away from reopening the government, if more Democrats join them
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is trying to wear Democrats down and pick them off one-by-one as he holds another vote Wednesday morning on a bill that would fund the government mostly at current levels.
“We are one just one Senate roll call vote away from ending the shutdown,” Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said in a floor speech. “We need a handful of Democrats to join Republicans to reopen the government.”
Republican leaders have jumped on the fact that three members of the Democratic Caucus voted for their funding bill Tuesday night, but they will need a lot more than that at the 11 a.m. vote series. It would likely take eight Democrats to pass the bill because Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, is also voting against it.
Trump administration putting NYC infrastructure projects on hold because of shutdown
White House budget director Russ Vought says he’s putting a hold on roughly $18 billion to fund New York City’s Hudson Tunnel and Second Avenue subway projects.
Vought posted on X that the hold was being put in place out of the administration’s belief that the funding was “based on unconstitutional DEI principles.” The term “DEI” stands for diversity, equity and inclusion.
But an administration official, insisting on anonymity to discuss the hold, said the government shutdown that started at midnight meant the Transportation Department workers responsible for reimbursing workers on the projects had been furloughed, so the money was being withheld.
— Josh Boak
Senate Democratic leader says Trump’s immigrant health care claims are ‘a lie plain and simple’
Sen. Chuck Schumer is rebutting President Trump’s repeated claims that immigrants without legal status would benefit from tax credits for health plans offered under the Affordable Care Act.
Democrats are demanding that the tax credits be extended in exchange for their votes to reopen the government, but the White House has repeatedly argued that those demands would benefit immigrants without legal status.
“It’s a lie so lazy and so outlandish it’s easy to rebut. But again, let me be clear, undocumented people cannot and will not receive premium tax credit by law,” Schumer, a New York Democrat, said.
Indeed, it’s been longstanding federal policy that immigrants without legal status are ineligible for federally-funded health care coverage.
Trump signs an executive order vowing to defend Qatar in the wake of Israel’s strike
President Trump has signed an executive order vowing to use all measures including U.S. military action to defend the energy-rich nation of Qatar — though it remains unclear just what weight the pledge will carry.
The text of the order, available Wednesday on the White House’s website but dated Monday, appears to be another measure by Trump to assure the Qataris following Israel’s surprise attack on the country targeting Hamas leaders as they weighed accepting a ceasefire with Israel over the war in the Gaza Strip.
The order cites the two countries’ “close cooperation” and “shared interest,” vowing to “guarantee the security and territorial integrity of the state of Qatar against external attack.”
“The United States shall regard any armed attack on the territory, sovereignty or critical infrastructure of the state of Qatar as a threat to the peace and security of the United States,” the order says.
▶ Read more about the executive order on Qatar
Sen. Chuck Schumer says Democrats won’t be bullied in government shutdown fight
The Senate Democratic leader isn’t backing away from his demands that Republicans negotiate with his caucus on health care programs before they vote to reopen the government.
In a floor speech, the New York Democrat said, “Democrats want to avert this crisis, but Republicans tried to bully us, and it’s clear they can’t. They don’t have the votes.”
Schumer says Republicans haven’t been willing to negotiate for their votes on a temporary funding bill and instead are demanding that they support the legislation without any input.
Senate Republicans urge more Democrats to join them in vote
Republican Sen. John Barrasso said “cracks started to appear” in the Senate on Tuesday among Democrats when three voted on a GOP measure to fund the government.
Republican leaders at a Wednesday news conference pushed more Democrats to join them in another vote schedule later in the day.
“There’s another vote today in the Senate and hopefully Senate Democrats will do the right thing,” said GOP Sen. Tom Cotton.
The health care fight behind the government shutdown
The government’s overnight shutdown stemmed from a deadlock in Congress over Democratic demands over health care — and Republican efforts to kick that can down the road.
At issue are tax credits that have made health insurance through the Affordable Care Act more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. The credits are set to expire at the end of the year if Congress doesn’t extend them — which would more than double what subsidized enrollees pay for health insurance premiums, according to a KFF analysis.
Democrats are demanding the subsidies be extended now, with enrollees set to get notices soon alerting them of next year’s insurance spikes. They also want Republicans to reverse the Medicaid cuts that were enacted in Trump’s big bill over the summer, and for the White House to promise it won’t move to rescind congressional spending.
Republicans say there’s still time to negotiate on health care this year, but stopgap funding for the government is the priority. They say they offered Democrats a stripped-down, noncontroversial bill and they should vote for it to keep the government running.
Shutdown blame game begins
Congressional Republican leaders launched the first morning of the shutdown by branding it “The Democrats Shutdown,” at a news conference as both parties scrambled to control the narrative.
“At midnight, Democrats followed through on their threat to shut down the American government,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, standing next to Senate Majority Leader John Thune.
Republicans stood beside a television looping past clips of Democrats criticizing previous shutdowns, including one of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez declaring, “It’s not normal to shut down the government if we don’t get what we want.”
Democrats embrace a shutdown fight in a rare moment of unity against Trump
On this, at least, the Democrats agree: It’s time to fight.
Whether far-left activists, Washington moderates or rural conservatives, Democratic leaders across the political spectrum are shrugging off the risks and embracing a government shutdown they say is needed to push back against President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress.
For Democrats, the shutdown fight marks a line in the sand born from months of frustration with their inability to stop Trump’s norm-busting leadership. And they’ll continue to fight, regardless of the practical or political consequences, they say.
“It’s a rare point of unification,” said Jim Kessler, of the moderate Democratic group Third Way.
“Absolutely there are risks,” he said. “But you’re hearing it from all wings of the Democratic Party: The fight is the victory. They want a fight. And they’re going to get one.”
As the shutdown begins, there are few signs of cracks across the Democratic Party’s diverse coalition.
▶ Read more about Democrats and the government shutdown
Will mail still be delivered during the shutdown?
Yes. The U.S. Postal Service is unaffected by a government shutdown. It’s an independent entity funded through the sale of its products and services, not by tax dollars.
In TV interviews, Democratic leaders call for bipartisan negotiations and defend shutdown strategy
“Donald Trump and Republicans have shut the government down because they don’t want to provide healthcare to working-class Americans,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said during an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
When asked whether he was concerned that his party would be blamed for the fallout from a shutdown, Jeffries said Democrats are “united in our resolve” to oppose the current GOP funding plan unless certain healthcare provisions are amended after Democratic input.
During an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,”Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he and Jeffries had requested meetings with GOP leadership in July to avoid a government shutdown.
“Here’s what we hope,” Schumer said during a CNN interview. “Now that the Republicans have seen they don’t have the votes, they will sit down and negotiate in good faith.”
Treasury workers’ union president says shutdown impacts will be felt everywhere
“Anyone who thinks a shutdown only hurts Washington D.C. or just federal employees is flat-out wrong,” National Treasury Employees Union President Doreen Greenwald said in a statement.
“Disrupting government services and stalling the government payroll is a gut punch to working families everywhere.”
She said federal agency managers did not communicate their shutdown contingency plans with their employees in a timely way, so now many federal workers across the country are scrambling to find out whether they’re required to work today or not.
Census data shows that at least 3,300 civilian federal employees live in every congressional district. NTEU represents employees in 38 federal agencies and offices.
Shutdown’s economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide
An economic jolt could be felt in a matter of days. The government is expected Friday to produce its monthly jobs report, which may or may not be delivered.
While the financial markets have generally “shrugged” during past shutdowns, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis, this one could be different partly because there are no signs of broader negotiations.
“There are also few good analogies to this week’s potential shutdown,” the analysis said.
Across the government, preparations have been underway. Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russ Vought, directed agencies to execute plans for not just furloughs, as are typical during a federal funding lapse, but mass firings of federal workers. It’s part of the Trump administration’s mission, including its Department of Government Efficiency, to shrink the federal government.
Vance stresses shutdown pain while urging Democrats to reopen the government
In a pair of TV interviews, Vice President JD Vance described how taxpayers will be affected by the shutdown.
He cited people on low-income food programs, potential flight delays for air travelers and service members reporting for duty without getting paid.
“It’s craziness and people are going to suffer because of this,” Vance said on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”
The Republican vice president, who was also interviewed on “CBS Mornings,” said the GOP will negotiate with Democrats but only after government resumes operating.
Republicans and Democrats are at odds over extending expiring subsidies that help consumers afford health care insurance.
Plenty of blame for the shutdown being thrown around
The Democrats picked this fight, which was unusual for the party that prefers to keep government running, but their voters are eager to challenge the president’s second-term agenda. Democrats are demanding funding for health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, spiking the costs of insurance premiums nationwide.
Republicans have refused to negotiate for now and have encouraged Trump to steer clear of any talks. After the White House meeting, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist.
What neither side has devised is an easy offramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure. The ramifications are certain to spread beyond the political arena, upending the lives of Americans who rely on the government for benefit payments, work contracts and the various services being thrown into turmoil.
How the government shutdown will affect student loans and the Education Department
Already diminished by cuts by the Trump administration, the U.S. Education Department will see more of its work come to a halt due to the government shutdown.
The department says many of its core operations will continue in the shutdown kicking off Wednesday. Federal financial aid will keep flowing and student loan payments will still be due. But investigations into civil rights complaints will stop, and the department will not issue new federal grants. About 87% of its workforce will be furloughed, according to a department contingency plan.
Since he took office, President Trump has called for the dismantling of the Education Department, saying it has been overrun by liberal thinking. Agency leaders have been making plans to parcel out its operations to other departments, and in July the Supreme Court upheld mass layoffs that halved the department’s staff.
▶ Read more about the shutdown’s effect on the Education Department
What closes during a shutdown?
All administrations get some leeway to choose which services to freeze and which to maintain in a shutdown.
The first Trump administration worked to blunt the impact of what became the country’s longest partial shutdown in 2018 and 2019. But on Tuesday, Trump threatened the possibility of increasing the pain that comes with a shutdown.
“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, that are bad for them and irreversible by them,” Trump said of Democrats. “Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”
Each federal agency develops its own shutdown plan. The plans outline which workers would stay on the job during a shutdown and which would be furloughed.
▶ Read more about what happens in a government shutdown
Will furloughed federal workers get paid?
Yes. In 2019, Congress passed a bill enshrining into law the requirement that furloughed employees get retroactive pay once operations resume.
While they’ll eventually get paid, the furloughed workers and those who remain on the job may have to go without one or more of their regular paychecks, depending upon how long the shutdown lasts, creating financial stress for many families.
Service members would also receive back pay for any missed paychecks once federal funding resumes.
What government work continues during a shutdown?
A great deal, actually.
FBI investigators, CIA officers, air traffic controllers and agents operating airport checkpoints keep working. So do members of the Armed Forces.
Those programs that rely on mandatory spending generally continue during a shutdown. Social Security payments still go out. Seniors relying on Medicare coverage can still see their doctors and health care providers can be reimbursed.
Veteran health care also continues during a shutdown. Veterans Affairs medical centers and outpatient clinics will be open, and VA benefits will continue to be processed and delivered. Burials will continue at VA national cemeteries.
What happens in the shutdown?
Now that a lapse in funding has occurred, the law requires agencies to furlough their “non-excepted” employees. Excepted employees, which include those who work to protect life and property, stay on the job but don’t get paid until after the shutdown ends.
The White House Office of Management and Budget begins the process with instructions to agencies that a lapse in appropriations has occurred and they should initiate orderly shutdown activities. That memo went out Tuesday evening.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day of the shutdown, with the total daily cost of their compensation at roughly $400 million.
By The Associated Press
