Who is to blame for the government shutdown? Americans speak out
From furloughed workers to small business owners, Americans told USA TODAY Network how the government shutdown is impacting their lives.
The government shutdown is now in its 18th day, the third longest in history.
Democrats and Republicans remain deadlocked over health care subsidies, and the Senate budget failed for the 10th time on October 17.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene Oct. 20 at 3 p.m., after which the Senate is expected to vote on a measure to end the shutdown around 5:30 p.m. ET.
The longest government shutdown in U.S. history lasted 35 days in 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first term.
On October 17, President Trump’s White House announced that the Army Corps of Engineers would “immediately halt” $11 billion in infrastructure projects in several Democratic-led cities as the federal government shutdown enters its third week.
The freeze will affect what the White House called “low-priority projects” in cities such as New York, San Francisco, Boston and Baltimore. Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in a post about X that all projects are also subject to cancellation.
Vought previously said more than 10,000 federal workers could face layoffs during the government shutdown.
President Trump previously said he would release a list of “Democratic plans” on October 17, but he did not produce that list.
Under the shutdown, more than 750,000 federal employees have been furloughed and ordered not to report to work. Employees deemed essential to public safety, such as military personnel, law enforcement officers, Border Patrol agents, and air traffic controllers, are required to work regardless. On October 15, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Defense to ensure active duty military personnel are paid despite the government shutdown.
The Senate is scheduled to reconvene on Monday, October 20th at 3:00 pm ET. The Senate is then expected to vote on a measure to end the shutdown around 5:30 p.m. ET.
If passed, the government shutdown would end when President Donald Trump signs the funding bill. But if the vote is rejected, the shutdown will continue as it has been for the past two and a half weeks.
— Sudiksha Kochi and Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Why is the government shut down?
Democrats and Republicans have been unable to reach a deal to fund the government.
Democrats want to secure tax cuts for the 24 million Americans who get insurance through the Affordable Care Act (known as Obamacare) and refuse to support government spending bills that do not address the issue.
Senate Democrats want to make the tax cuts permanent, which are set to expire at the end of the year, and provide reassurance to prevent the Trump administration from temporarily withholding funds.
Republicans and the president have said they are open to considering fixes to the expiring ACA tax cuts, but want the issue to be addressed separately from the ongoing budget impasse.
— Sudiksha Kochi, Terry Moseley
How long has the shutdown been going on?
The US government has been shut down for two and a half weeks so far.
The government officially shut down at midnight ET on October 1 because Congress could not reach a funding agreement.
As of October 1, there have been 22 federal government shutdowns over the past 50 years. The longest government shutdown lasted 35 days and occurred from December 2018 to January 2019 due to an impasse between Congress and the Trump administration over funding for the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
— Sudiksha Kochi
President Trump departed Washington, D.C., on Friday night and headed to his mansion, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida. He was responding to a reporter’s question about the closure of the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport.
“Republicans are not going to pay $1.5 trillion to illegal immigrants coming into our country,” he said. “We have no intention of doing that, so the closure will continue.”
If the shutdown continues, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which 42 million people nationwide rely on, will not be able to pay out full benefits in November.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a letter to state agencies on Oct. 10 that if the government shutdown continues, there will not be enough money to fully pay SNAP benefits for November.
Head Start, a federally funded early education program, is also bracing for disruption.
The National Head Start Association reports that six Head Start programs serving 6,525 children are already operating without federal funding and are relying on local emergency resources to continue. By Nov. 1, the closures will affect 134 additional Head Start programs serving 58,627 children in 41 states and Puerto Rico, with programs at risk of closure.
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee and a former Head Start teacher, introduced the Head Start Shutdown Protection Act in the House on October 17.
The law “requires the federal government to reimburse states, localities, and school districts that continue to operate their programs using their own funds,” Waters said.
“As a former Head Start teacher, I know that Head Start provides a strong foundation for vulnerable young children,” Waters said. “We cannot allow a government shutdown to destroy their education, their families, and their chances of success.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a post on X that more than 70,000 “sworn law enforcement officers” will be paid for their work during the government shutdown.
“By Wednesday, Oct. 22, law enforcement officers will receive a ‘super check’ that covers the four lost days, overtime, and their next pay period,” she wrote.
