What is a government shutdown and why is this year’s threat more serious? | US politics

The federal government is again on the verge of closure, unless the congress can conclude a financing agreement before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1.

With the clock that was running and the Democrats and the Republicans who have apparently dug, it remains shortly to avoid a period of time in the financing of the government. And in a strong escalation, the White House threatened permanent massage of permanent mass of officials in the event of closure, adding to the about 300,000 that he forced earlier this year.

What is a government closure?

If a compromise is not reached by midnight on September 30, some parts of the government will begin to close. Until the congress acts, a wide range of federal services could be temporarily interrupted or disturbed because certain agencies cease all non -essential functions.

In a polarized Washington, with the right rooms, the threats of closure have become a characteristic of the recent budgetary battles of the Congress. A dead end in 2018, during Trump’s first term, led to a 34 -day closure, the longest in the modern era. At the time, around 800,000 of the 2.1 million employees of the federal government were sidelined without salary.

What causes the fight this time?

The new federal government’s exercise begins on Wednesday and the congress has not yet concluded an agreement on a short -term financing bill.

The Republicans, who control the two chambers of the congress, refuse to make compromises and in fact dredct the Democrats to reject a stop measure which would extend the levels of funding, mainly at current levels, until November 21. This bill narrowly adopted the Chamber but did not fail in the Senate at the beginning of the month.

Donald Trump said he expects the government to close this week. “If he has to stop, he will have to stop,” he said on Friday, blaming the Democrats.

The Republican leaders and Democrats of the Congress remained at a dead end after a meeting Monday afternoon with Trump in the White House. “I think we are heading for a closure because the Democrats will not do the right thing,” JD Vance told journalists after the summit.

The Democrats, locked from power in Washington, have little lever, but their votes are necessary to overcome the filibusier in the Senate. Democrats require an extension of subsidies which limit the cost of health insurance under the affordable care law and should expire, a decline in the Medicaid cups made in One Big Bill Bill Act of Trump, and the restoration of public media financing which has been reduced in the Rechesions package.

Leaving the White House on Monday, the Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said: “There are still big differences between us.”

Congress Democrats are under pressure to use their lever effect to resist Trump and his administration. In March, Schumer lent the democratic votes necessary to approve short -term funding, a republican written measure without obtaining concessions – a decision that made the party base furious.

Why is the threat of this year more serious?

This time, the impact on federal workers could be even more serious. In a memo published last week, the White House management and budget office told agencies not only to prepare for temporary holidays, but also for permanent layoffs in the event of closure.

The memo has ordered agencies to reduce the reduction of force opinions for federal programs whose funding sources would allace in the event of closure and do not comply with the president’s priorities “.

The OMB has directed the previous efforts of the administration to reduce the federal workforce in the context of a broader government efficiency campaign led by the “Ministry of Elon Musk” Ministry of Elon Musk.

In a statement Thursday, AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler said that government employees had “already suffered enormously” this year under the vast cups of the Trump administration in federal labor. “These are not pawns for the president’s political games,” she said.

Asked about the memo on Thursday, Trump blamed the Democrats, saying that a closure was what the party wanted. “They never change,” he said.

At a press conference, the Hakeem House Chief Hakeem Jeffries said Thursday that Democrats “will not be intimidated” by Trump administration threats to dismiss more federal employees if the federal government closed. He added that his message to Russell Vought, the head of the OMB, was simple: “get lost.”

What happens if the government stops?

In the event of a total or partial closure of the government, hundreds of thousands of federal workers may be conticated or required to work without salary. About 750,000 federal employees will be contained every day of a government closure, according to an estimate of the Congressional Budget Office published on Tuesday.

The operations deemed essential – such as social security, military tasks, the application of immigration and the control of air traffic – continue, but other services can be disrupted or delayed. The delivery and post office operations will continue without interruption.

The agencies have published updated emergency plans in the event of closure. The Ministry of Education said that almost all of its federal employees are on leave, while most of the Ministry of Homeland Security would remain in progress.

The effect can be of great scale and potentially durable. Previous closures closed national parks and Smithsonian Museums in Washington; Air trips slowed down; Delayed food security inspections and postponed immigration audiences.

Although the wider economy does not feel the effects immediately, analysts prevent an prolonged closure could slow growth, disturb markets and erode public confidence.