U.S. Government Enters Shutdown
on Sep 30, 2025
This Is The First Government Shutdown In 6 Years
As the clock struck midnight (EST) on Wednesday, October 1, the United States government entered a shutdown.
Framed by the White House as the “Democrat Shutdown,” this is the first government shutdown in six years.
This was triggered as Republicans and Democrats in the Senate failed to reach at least 60 votes on either of their proposals to keep the government funded through the next fiscal year.
Republicans proposed a continuing resolution, which would have funded the government for seven more weeks to allow time for further deliberation.
“Well, the Democrat Caucus here in town, in the Senate, has chosen to shut down the government over a clean nonpartisan funding bill,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) at a press conference in the evening of Tuesday, September 30. “We didn’t ask Democrats to swallow any new Republican policies.”
Thune stated, “We didn’t add partisan riders. We simply asked Democrats to extend funding levels to allow the Senate to continue the bipartisan appropriations work that we started.”
Democrats are largely holding firm for a spending plan which would extend expiring subsidies for Obamacare.
This spending plan originated in the House of Representatives, where it passed 217-212, with two Republicans (Thomas Massie, R-KY; and Victoria Spartz, R-IN) opposing it and one Democrat (Jared Golden, D-ME) supporting it.
Without the Senate’s approval, the plan to keep the government afloat through November 21 has failed.
Watch Senate Majority Leader John Thune speak about the shutdown, here:
On September 29, President Donald Trump was asked about the then-looming government shutdown, to which he said, “The Democrats are crazed. They don’t know what they’re doing.”
A significant Republican holdout is Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who says the Republican plan is not in keeping with fiscally conservative principles.
Watch Rand discuss his opposition to both the Republican and Democrat plans, here:
Both the GOP and the Democrats’ spending plans would increase the deficit, which I oppose. Instead, I support making small cuts across the board. pic.twitter.com/57lmJJpU8m
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 29, 2025
What Does The Shutdown Mean?
The last time the government went through a shutdown was in December of 2018 through January of 2019, during which the government was shut down for its longest stretch of time in U.S. history: 35 days.
For however long this 2025 shutdown lasts, many government services will still remain active.
Social Security checks will still be sent out, air traffic control will not be impacted, student loans will still be administered.
Services such as SNAP and WIC will continue regular operations as funding remains.
Still, there are notable exceptions.
Many National Parks will remain open as funding remains, but emergency services to those areas will be limited and spaces requiring staffing, like the Washington Monument, will be closed to the public.
Additionally, military and civilian personnel will remain on active duty, but their pay will be delayed until a resolution is reached.
