Washington, United States – The United States officially entered what is known as federal paralysis on Wednesday.
This came after the US Congress failed to approve the federal funding bill.
The US government began shutting down after midnight on Tuesday.
After lawmakers and President Donald Trump failed to break the budget deadlock during heated talks over Democrats’ demands for health care funding.
This is the first government shutdown since the longest in history – which lasted 35 days – nearly seven years ago.
This will bring work to a standstill in many federal ministries and agencies, and affect hundreds of thousands of government employees.
Why does a government shutdown happen?
This closure means a partial or complete cessation of federal government activities.
It occurs when Congress fails to pass a funding law ensuring that government institutions continue to operate before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, due to political differences between the Republican and Democratic parties over budget items.
Failure to reach agreement on spending or funding for certain programs such as health care or defense leads to this impasse.
What actions were taken during the lockdown?
Non-essential federal agencies cease operations, and non-essential employees are placed on compulsory unpaid leave.
National parks, museums, and some administrative offices are also closed.
To that.. The economy is affected by spending stops and salary delays, which weakens investor confidence and affects financial markets.
While vital services such as national security, the military, aviation control, and mail continue.
The Democratic Party is “responsible”
Trump had previously warned that the closure would lead to the layoff of thousands of employees, holding the Democratic Party responsible.
He said on Tuesday, during a press conference at the White House, that thousands of “Democratic” employees will lose their jobs, because the Democratic Party is the one that disrupted the draft budget, due to its adherence to health coverage for illegal immigrants, as he put it
14 previous closures
It is noteworthy that the longest closure was between 2018 and 2019, when it lasted 35 days due to a dispute over financing the border wall with Mexico.
Since 1980, the United States has experienced 14 government shutdowns.
