USA in “shutdown”: Senate rejects proposals, government halts operations

The United States is once again facing a federal government shutdown—the fifteenth since 1981. The government shutdown began a few hours after the Senate rejected a short-term spending package that would have kept the government running until November 21.

Democrats opposed the bill because Republicans refused to include an extension of health benefits for millions of Americans that are set to expire at the end of the year. Republicans insist that this issue must be dealt with separately.

President Donald Trump and White House officials are threatening Democrats with cuts to government programs and federal salaries. His administration also plans to lay off 300,000 employees by December.
Trump's budget director, Russell Vought, who called for “less bipartisan” budget funding, threatened last week with permanent layoffs in the event of a shutdown.

The stalemate could significantly impair the functioning of the government: the publication of important economic data would be halted, traffic would slow down, soldiers would not receive their salaries, and up to 750,000 public sector jobs would be at risk. The daily cost of the shutdown amounts to $400 million.

The longest government shutdown in US history lasted 35 days—from December 2018 to January 2019 during Trump's first term in office—over a dispute about border security.

(reuters, max)