WASHINGTON (AP) — federal government shutdown rapidly approaching second place longest on record and I can’t see the end. Some lawmakers predict it could be even longer than that. 35 days into President Donald Trump’s first term.
The Trump administration is using the current government shutdown to shore up its preferred priorities while dismantling those it doesn’t. Nevertheless, Democrats insist that any funding bill include support for the millions of Americans who would lose health insurance coverage or face steep increases in monthly premiums if Congress does nothing.
The closure began on October 1st. A look at the impact so far on workers, the economy and the services provided by governments.
Furloughs and layoffs
The federal government employed nearly 2.3 million civilian employees as of March 31. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 750,000 of those workers will be furloughed each day during the government shutdown. This means you won’t report for work until the shutdown is over. Others are considered “exceptions” and go to work, protect life and property, and perform other essential services.
Both groups of workers will receive a salary, but on a retroactive basis. This means that after receiving a partial paycheck early for work done in late September, you may not receive your full pay later this month.
The nation’s 1.3 million active-duty military members received a temporary reprieve. They were thinking of missing Wednesday’s paycheck. But President Trump directed the Department of Defense to redirect the funds. A second reprieve is unlikely.
Of note to taxpayers, CBO estimates provided at the request of Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) show that the government will be paying about $400 million per day for furloughed workers while they stay home.
The administration is also making efforts. lay off thousands of federal employees In government agencies that don’t align with priorities. Republican leaders in Congress say this is part of the fallout from the government shutdown. But past presidents have not used shutdowns to carry out mass layoffs.
The Republican administration has announced one layoff affecting 4,100 employees, with the largest cuts occurring in the Departments of Treasury, Health and Human Services, Education, and Housing and Urban Development.
White House Budget Director Russ Vought said in an interview on “The Charlie Kirk Show” that more is planned.
“I think we’ll probably end up with over 10,000 people,” Vought said.
“We want to be very aggressive as much as possible to shut down the bureaucracy,” Vought said. “We had an opportunity to do that, not just through the funding, but also through the bureaucracy.”
A federal judge is temporarily blocked He said the firings appeared to be politically motivated and were done without much thought. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said Thursday that the administration is “100%” confident it will prevail on the merits in the subsequent lawsuit.
Lawmakers acknowledged that many federal employees live paycheck to paycheck and will face some degree of financial stress during the government shutdown. In some communities, food banks are stepping up efforts to support them. The Capital Region Food Bank, for example, announced additional food distributions in the Washington area starting Monday to support federal employees and contractors.
economic impact
Past shutdowns had a small impact on the economy, with growth falling in the quarter in which the shutdown occurred, but slightly increasing growth in the following three months was able to compensate.
Oxford Economics estimates that the government shutdown will reduce economic growth by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points per week. A full quarter-long shutdown, which has never happened before, would reduce growth in that three-month period by 1.2 to 2.4 percentage points.
Some industries have been hit harder than others.
The U.S. Travel Association said the travel economy is expected to lose $1 billion a week as travelers change plans to visit national parks, historic sites and the nation’s capital, where many institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution and the National Zoo, are currently closed to visitors.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce noted that the Small Business Administration supports loans totaling about $860 million a week to 1,600 small businesses. These programs will be closing in on new loans during the shutdown. The closure also halts the issuance and renewal of flood insurance, and delays mortgage closings and real estate transactions.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported a shortage of air traffic controllers in cities across the country, from airports in Boston and Philadelphia to control centers in Atlanta and Houston. flight delay It has also expanded to airports in Nashville, Tennessee, Dallas, Newark and New Jersey.
political influence
Political parties that demand conditions as part of government funding bills usually don’t get their way. That was the case for Republicans in 2013 and 2018. It remains to be seen how things will play out this time, but neither side seems to be budging.
So far, public opinion is quite divided on who is to blame for this impasse. Roughly 6 in 10 U.S. adults say President Trump and Republicans in Congress bear “a great deal” or “a great deal” of responsibility for the government shutdown, while 54% say the same about Democrats in Congress, according to the poll. Associated Press-NORC Public Affairs Research Center.
Perceptions could change depending on Democratic priorities and how much the White House uses the shutdown to exclude Democratic-leaning states and cities.
The administration is holding back about $18 billion in funding. new railway tunnel Below the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey, and an extension of the city subway second avenue. It canceled $7.6 billion in subsidies supporting hundreds of clean energy projects in 16 states that voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. The administration cited reasons for the closure other than funding changes.
In the end, there appears to be no easy way out of the shutdown. Republicans say any health care negotiations will take place once the government is fully back to work. “We are not negotiating in a hostage situation,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (D).
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said across the Capitol from the Capitol that Democrats “are not going to give in, and we are not going to give in because we are standing up for the American people.”
