The federal government officially shut down Wednesday after lawmakers were unable to strike a deal on a funding bill, marking the nation’s first shutdown in nearly seven years.
The last shutdown — which took place during President Donald Trump’s first term — lasted 35 days and furloughed about 380,000 federal workers. This time, the impact is even larger. Roughly 750,000 employees are expected to be furloughed, and more than two million are working without pay.
President Trump signaled Wednesday that the shutdown could bring sweeping changes to the federal workforce.
“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible by them. Like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like,” Trump said.
Some federal services will immediately feel the strain. National parks and museums could remain partially open, but certain sites and buildings are expected to close. The government’s nutrition assistance programs — including SNAP and WIC — will continue in the short term, though future benefits depend on available contingency funds.
Several essential operations will remain open, including the military, air traffic control, TSA, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the U.S. Postal Service. However, employees in many of these programs will continue working without pay until the shutdown ends.
The economic fallout will depend heavily on how long the shutdown lasts. For now, senators aren’t scheduled to vote again on a short-term funding bill until Friday, leaving hundreds of thousands of families and federal workers in limbo.
