The United States government has officially shut down today for the first time in nearly seven years. The shutdown comes after Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to reach an agreement on a spending bill. The Democrats refused to support a Republican funding package unless they won a series of concessions centred on health care.
This US federal shutdown was triggered because Congress failed to pass a last-minute funding bill, called a continuing resolution (CR).
A continuing resolution is needed when Congress is unable to complete their spending bills – which provide funding for around 25% of all government operations – on time.
It is a temporary “stop gap” which allows Congress to fund the federal government for a short time. They cover a period during which Congress and the US president reach an agreement on how to allocate federal funds.
The vote for a continuing resolution took place in the Senate, but only managed to reach 53 of the 60 votes needed to pass it.
This shutdown now won’t be resolved until Congress passes a funding bill.
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The US government shuts down after senators fail to agree on a last-minute funding bill – how did we get here?
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We are back on familiar ground but if the stakes seem higher this time, it’s a reflection of Trump’s presidency, writes our North America correspondent
Republicans and Democrats are blaming each other for the failure to pass the bill.
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Some government services across the US are grinding to a halt after a deadline for Democrats and Republicans to agree to a new federal funding package expired. Here’s what you need to know:
- Democrats in the Senate refused to back an eleventh-hour bill for a short extension, arguing it did not address their concerns about cuts to healthcare programmes
- Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has threatened to use the shut-down to carry out mass lay-offs
- Both the Republicans and Democrats are laying the blame for the impasse at each other’s feet
- The Senate is due to convene later today, at 10:00 local time (15:00 BST / 14:00 GMT)
The Republicans were pushing to pass a bill to extend government funding without other initiatives attached – known as a clean continuing resolution.
But they only have 53 seats in the Senate – and need 60 votes to pass such a bill, meaning they need support from the Democrats.
The Democrats sought to capitalise on that leverage to try and advance their policy goals in healthcare, which included:
- Ensuring subsidies for health insurance for low-income individuals do not expire
- Reversing the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid
But that was a no-go for Republicans and they came to a standoff. The shutdown won’t be resolved until Congress passes a funding bill.