The federal government shutdown has become the longest in American history, lasting 43 days as of Nov. 12. On Nov. 5, it surpassed the 35-day record held by the 2018-2019 shutdown.
The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Congress failed to pass funding legislation for the 2026 fiscal year. Senate Democrats wanted to add provisions to the spending bill to extend coverage under the Affordable Care Act, whose enhanced premium tax credits are scheduled to expire at the end of this year. Because Republicans denied the request, the Democrats repeatedly voted to block the legislation.
Due to the continued disagreement, the federal budget was not passed by the Sept. 30 deadline. As a result, federal agencies were unable to make use of funds, thereby shutting down the government.
The shutdown has greatly slowed the economy, and it has increased both the deficit and the national debt, especially since economic activities have been impacted for such a long period of time. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that up to $14 billion of economic output could be permanently lost.
For many government employees, especially those working in air traffic control and law enforcement, the shutdown means that they are temporarily laid off until the government reopens. Hundreds of thousands of employees have been furloughed, severely straining the functioning of essential services across the country as millions more continue to work without pay.
Beginning on Nov. 1, funds were cut off to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known colloquially as food stamps, which assists low-income Americans with purchasing food. SNAP’s loss of funds has led to increased legal action against the government as many grow concerned about the possibility of widespread hunger.
Rowan Mroczynski (11) says, “I think [the shutdown has] been very detrimental to a lot of people, [because] mainly people who need food stamps and just support from the government aren’t really getting it.”
On Nov. 9, the Senate voted 60 to 40 to approve a resolution to reopen the government. The measure would provide funding for most of the government until the end of January. One independent Senator and seven Democrats voted with most Republicans to advance the bill.
However, the bill does not extend the ACA’s health subsidies, leaving many concerned that the extended standoff that led to the shutdown did not yield any meaningful results.
“It’s creating this sense of normalcy for just submitting to the majority of Congress’s demands,” says Mroczynski. “The relaxedness of the Democratic Party is certainly making me a bit skeptical about how they’re going to treat future resolutions like this.”
The Senate vote opens the door for the government to reopen, although it also requires a vote in the House of Representatives. The increasing polarization of American politics, however, worries some who do not see the end of the shutdown as very promising.
“It’s something that could easily be avoided but is chosen not to be out of ignorance,” says Jake Antonio (11). “[Politicians] set a very strong precedent for it to perhaps occur again.”
As legislation to end the shutdown continues to be debated about, many people and businesses across the country are left reeling from the impacts that it has had.
