On Friday, October 1st the U.S. government shut down. A government shut down means that some government services are temporarily suspended and 40% of the federal workforce, which is about 750,000 people, are on unpaid leave. The shut down started because Democratic and Republican politicians disagreed on how passing a bill funding government services in October and beyond. Republicans control both chambers of congress, but they are short of the 60 votes in the upper chamber, also known as the senate, that are needed to pass the bill, this gives opposing democrats some negotiating power. Democrats wanted a reversal of Trump’s Medicaid cuts; Medicaid is a government healthcare program that is used by millions of elderly, disabled, and low income people.
Thousands of flights have been cancelled due to the lack of air traffic controllers, who are expected to work without pay. Many transportation workers are also not showing up to work. Government workers that are deemed non-essential have been put on unpaid leave, as well as workers who work for federal agencies but are not directly employed by the government are also out of work. Many agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health have also put workers on unpaid leave which affects ongoing projects.
Services like the food assistance program and the federally funded preschool have been shut down or closed, as well as many institutions like the Smithonian. Additionally the National Parks Service said that its 433 sites will remain partially open, but with limited facilities for visitors, this is because more than half of its employees have been put on leave. During a shutdown that took place between December 2018 and January 2019, National Parks were allowed to stay open but with no staff, which led to looting and vandalism at the sites.
On Thursday, October 16th, the Senate had the 10th vote to pass the spending bill. The vote was 51 to 45, with four members deciding not to vote. Senate Majority leader John Thune said he has told democrats that he can guarantee a vote on a one year extension of the health care tax credits, but he did not promise that it would pass. The House Speaker, Mike Johnson, said that the Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, declined the offer, but Schumer later said that Thune never brought him a formal proposal.
Republicans claim that Democrats are dug in on their shutdown position, suggesting that the Democrats will remain unmovable until after the ‘No Kings’ rallies in an appeal to their base. Schumer is under pressure to fight against Republicans since he allowed a funding measure to advance in March. On Thursday morning, Schumer stated that during their push to extend health insurance tax credits, Republicans must be willing to negotiate an end to the shutdown.
The senate does not have plans to vote on the bill again this week, meaning the shutdown will likely extend to next week at the earliest.