US government shuts down - No agreement reached between parties on temporary funding
The US federal government began shutdown proceedings on Wednesday, just hours after the US Senate failed to pass a short-term bill to temporarily fund the government.
This marks the first government shutdown in nearly seven years. The last and longest federal government shutdown occurred from late 2018 to early 2019, during President Trump's first term. During that time, Democrats opposed the Republican leader's proposed funding for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Bipartisan disagreements over immigration led to a 35-day shutdown, during which about 800,000 federal employees were forced to work without pay or take unpaid leave.
This time around, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be forced to take unpaid leave, with some public services likely to be suspended or delayed. The release of economic data could also be affected.
In the Senate, Democrats blocked a temporary resolution proposed by Republicans to keep the government open. The measure failed to gain the necessary support, falling short of the 60 votes required for approval.
Health care is one of the key issues that has caused divisions between the parties. Democrats are seeking improvements to health care, including extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire at the end of the year. Republicans, on the other hand, oppose these measures and have proposed that current government funding be continued temporarily to buy more time for negotiations.
Operating funds for the US federal government are provided through annual budgets. In theory, Congress is expected to pass the relevant bills before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1. However, in recent years, fierce partisan clashes have prevented agreements from being reached in a timely manner. According to US media reports, Republicans in the Senate plan to hold another vote on the bill on Wednesday.
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