Why did the U.S. government shut down and how long could it last? What to expect

With the U.S. government officially shut down, how long could the closure last and why is it happening?

Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by the Trump administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as President Donald Trump vowed to “do things that are irreversible, that are bad” as retribution.

Here’s what to know:

Why did the government shut down?

The Democrats picked this fight, which was unusual for the party that prefers to keep government running, but their voters are eager to challenge the president’s second-term agenda. Democrats are demanding funding for health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, causing the insurance premiums to spike nationwide.

Republicans have refused to negotiate and have encouraged Trump to steer clear of any talks. After convening a White House meeting this week with the Democratic leaders, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist.

“President Trump’s behavior has become more erratic and unhinged,” Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement, calling for an “intervention” to get the country out of the shutdown. “Instead of negotiating a bipartisan agreement in good faith, he is obsessively posting crazed deepfake videos.”

Vice President JD Vance said Republicans want to resolve the health care issues that concern Democrats but will not negotiate until the government reopens.

“It’s craziness, and people are going to suffer because of this,” Vance said Wednesday on the Fox News show “Fox & Friends.”

What neither side has devised is an easy off-ramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure. The ramifications are certain to spread beyond the political arena, upending the lives of Americans who rely on the government for benefit payments, work contracts and the many services being thrown into turmoil.

How long has it been since the last government shutdown?

It’s the first government shutdown since 2018, in Trump’s first term.

During that time, the nation endured its longest-ever shutdown, 35 days, over his demands for funds Congress refused to provide to build his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.

In 2013, the government shut down for 16 days during the Obama presidency over GOP demands to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Other closures date back decades.

What happens during a government shutdown?

Now that a lapse in funding has occurred, the law requires agencies to furlough their “non-excepted” employees. Excepted employees, which include those who work to protect life and property, stay on the job but don’t get paid until after the shutdown ends.

The White House Office of Management and Budget begins the process with instructions to agencies that a lapse in appropriations has occurred and they should initiate orderly shutdown activities. That memo went out Tuesday evening.

The State Department on Wednesday boosted the number of furlough-exempted staffers by more than 6,000. In a document published early Wednesday, the department said 16,864 direct-hire U.S.-based employees would not be subject to the furlough, up from 10,344 that it had identified as exempt on Monday. The reason for the change wasn’t given.

The revision means 10,436 department employees in the U.S. will be furloughed during the shutdown.

There are still no plans for permanent layoffs at the department as a result of the shutdown and all U.S. embassies and consulates will remain open, with passport and visa services continuing uninterrupted.

The Medicare and Medicaid health care programs are expected to continue, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services. The Pentagon would still function. And most employees will stay on the job at the Department of Homeland Security.

But Trump has warned that the administration could focus on programs that are important to Democrats, “cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”

As agencies sort out which workers are essential, or not, Smithsonian museums are expected to stay open at least until Monday. A group of former national park superintendents urged the administration to close the parks to visitors, arguing that poorly staffed parks in a shutdown are a danger to the public and put park resources at risk.

If the shutdown goes on long enough, it could throw a wrench in travel plans, potentially leading to longer airport wait times, flight delays and even cancellations.

“The longer a shutdown drags on, the more likely we are to see longer TSA lines, flight delays and cancellations, national parks in disrepair and unnecessary delays in modernizing travel infrastructure,” Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, warned in a statement.

What comes next?

As of Wednesday morning, there was no clear path to a resolution, with the two sides fundamentally at odds over how to resolve the impasse.

The Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress, but it needs Democratic support to pass a bill in the Senate, where 60 votes are required. The two parties failed to craft a bipartisan bill, with the Senate rejecting both a GOP proposal and a Democratic proposal just hours before the shutdown deadline.

On Wednesday, the Senate began voting on a proposal from Democrats that would reopen the government as well as enact their priorities on health care, but it’s failing along party lines.

More than 50 GOP senators have already voted against the legislation, meaning it will fall well short of the 60 votes needed to advance in the Senate.

Lawmakers will next vote on the Republican proposal that would keep government funding mostly at current levels, but no Democrat has publicly revealed they will change their vote from Tuesday night, when the legislation failed.

What’s staying open and shutting down?

Overall, each federal agency develops its own shutdown plan. The plans outline which workers would stay on the job during a shutdown, and which would be furloughed.

Health and healthcare

The Medicare and Medicaid health care programs are expected to continue, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services. Social Security payments still go out, and seniors relying on Medicare coverage can still see their doctors and health care providers can be reimbursed.

But Trump has warned that the administration could focus on programs that are important to Democrats, “cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”

Health and Human Services will furlough about 41% of its staff out of nearly 80,000 employees, according to a contingency plan posted on its website.

As part of that plan, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would continue to monitor disease outbreaks, while activities that will stop include research into health risks and ways to prevent illness.

Meanwhile, research and patient care at the National Institutes of Health would be upended. Patients currently enrolled in studies at the research-only hospital nicknamed the “house of hope” will continue to receive care. Additional sick patients hoping for access to experimental therapies can’t enroll except in special circumstances, and no new studies will begin.

Most of the Food and Drug Administration’s core responsibilities would continue, including responding to public health threats and managing product recalls and drug shortages.

Some routine activities, including previously scheduled inspections of company manufacturing plants, will be halted. But the agency will continue to conduct inspections when it has reason to suspect a problem that could endanger consumers.

Government activities that ensure the immediate safety of the food supply will continue, including food recalls, investigations and inspections of imports. But longer-term food safety efforts, including initiatives aimed at reducing foodborne illnesses, would be paused.

About 86% of the agency’s staff would remain on the job because their work is deemed essential or they are funded by non-federal sources, according to the administration’s shutdown plan. FDA scientists who review drugs, medical devices and tobacco products are mostly or entirely funded by company fees, not the federal government.

Parks and museums

As agencies sort out which workers are essential, or not, Smithsonian museums are expected to stay open at least until Monday. A group of former national park superintendents urged the Trump administration to close the parks to visitors, arguing that poorly staffed parks in a shutdown are a danger to the public and put park resources at risk.

FEMA

While FEMA’s core disaster relief functions would not be affected, at least in the short term, other aspects of the agency’s work would be impacted. Some grant approvals would be paused, and no new policies could be written under the National Flood Insurance Program, halting new mortgages that require flood insurance.

Air Traffic Control and Airports

Air traffic controllers already certified and on the job would be among the essential workers who would continue during any shutdown but their pay could be affected.

National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels has said that having to work without a paycheck adds stress to controllers who already do a difficult job. He said that in past shutdowns some controllers have even had to get side jobs to help pay bills while the shutdown drug on.

Capt. Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, urged Congress to reach an agreement. “A shutdown threatens the stability of the safest aviation system in the world,” Ambrosi said.

At Airports, TSA agents would likely be required to work without pay until the shutdown ends.

Homeland Security and Immigration

Most Department of Homeland Security employees would continue to work, because much of the department’s workforce is connected to law enforcement or works in areas funded by user fees as opposed to Congressional appropriations.

In a message posted to X early Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said there was no change to immigration laws or enforcement during a shutdown.

USPS

You’ll still get mail delivered, and post offices will remain open. The U.S. Postal Service is unaffected by a government shutdown. It’s an independent entity funded through the sale of its products and services, not by tax dollars.