The US government shutdown deepens after the Senate, for the fifth time in nearly three weeks, failed on Monday, October 6, to reinstate federal funding. This ongoing impasse, stemming from Congress's inability to pass a spending bill (effectively, the budget for the coming year), has halted the operation of federal agencies and forced hundreds of thousands of workers onto unpaid leave, reports The WP Times.
The deadlock centers on deeply entrenched partisan differences, with the current skirmish serving as an unofficial starting gun for the upcoming 2026 Congressional midterm elections. Republicans, having already passed their proposal in the House of Representatives, insist on their budget resolution for a temporary extension of government funding until November 21. Democrats, however, are pushing for their own bill, which crucially seeks to extend the preferential access to Obamacare and Medicaid healthcare programs, set to expire in late 2025. This extension is a direct challenge to the reductions outlined in the "One Big Beautiful Bill," President Trump's legislation passed this summer, which also extended tax reform.
With House Speaker Mike Johnson (R) announcing that lawmakers will be working in their districts until October 13, effectively pausing legislative sessions, and White House officials reportedly threatening to furlough 18,000 federal employees, neither side appears willing to back down. Republicans are unlikely to abandon their temporary funding proposal, and Democrats are equally determined to hold firm on their healthcare demands a year ahead of the November 3, 2026, midterm elections, where the entire House and a third of the Senate will be up for re-election.
This latest shutdown, therefore, is more than a routine partisan squabble; it signals the commencement of the race for control of Congress. The consequences are already tangible: approximately 750,000 federal employees are currently on forced leave. Many agencies, including NASA, several departments, and even parts of the State Department and Pentagon, are not operating at full capacity. For instance, roughly 41% of the Department of Health's staff are on unpaid furlough, while others either receive pay from alternative funding sources or continue to work without compensation.
Experts suggest both parties could exit the shutdown with minimal political damage by an unofficial deadline of October 15, the date military service members are funded until. Despite efforts by Republicans and Donald Trump to blame Democrats—claiming their push for Obamacare and Medicaid funding aims to benefit undocumented immigrants—a recent CBS News poll indicates that 39% of Americans fault Trump and Republicans for the government closure, 30% blame Democrats, and 31% assign responsibility to both parties.
Speaker Johnson urged Democrats to vote for the Republican's temporary spending resolution, arguing the time until November 21 would be "an eternity" to resolve all contentious issues. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, conversely, suggested that President Trump, who had been attempting to stay out of the public Capitol Hill battles, needed to personally weigh in. While Trump did meet with Congressional leaders last week, it was only after Monday's fifth failed Senate vote that he finally stated he was open to a compromise with Democrats regarding the controversial healthcare issues. The stakes remain high, but a full shutdown has not yet been reached, as some critical functions continue with partial funding. The key question remains: how will this political standoff unfold, and will the government funding lapse affect aid to Ukraine?
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