WASHINGTON – The United States Federal Government has officially shut down after Donald Trump shared a behind-the-scenes photo from his failed negotiations with Democrats.
The strike of midnight yesterday ushered in the first federal government shutdown since December 2018, when a standoff over border wall funding during President Trump’s first term led to a historic 35-day stoppage.
The Senate plans to vote on the twice-failed funding Bill again yesterday morning, but most House Republicans are not even in Washington, leaving a timeline for a resolution an open question.
At the heart of the standoff is Democratic Party demands that Republicans agree to restoring cuts to healthcare that were enacted over the summer.
Their inability to strike an agreement means that a budget was not approved, leading to around 750 000 federal workers being put on unpaid leave, with Trump threatening to fire ‘vast numbers of people’.
The political gridlock surrounds the question of health care; the Democrats are demanding funding for subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, spiking the costs of insurance premiums nationwide.
The Republicans have refused to negotiate and have encouraged Trump to steer clear of any talks, creating a standoff with each party blaming the other for the shut down.
Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to ‘do things that are irreversible, that are bad’ as retribution.
Leave a comment