Washington, October 1 — The United States government entered a partial shutdown at midnight on Tuesday after the Senate rejected a measure to extend federal funding, halting nonessential operations and furloughing thousands of workers. President Donald Trump warned of “irreversible” layoffs targeting Democrats in the federal workforce amid the impasse over $1.7 trillion in discretionary spending, according to details received by The Chenab Times.
The Senate voted 55-45 against advancing the House-passed continuing resolution, short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. Senate Republican Leader John Thune announced plans for another vote on Wednesday, but with the Republican-controlled House not in session, prospects for quick resolution remain dim, as reported by Reuters.
Democrats conditioned support on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year’s end, which would prevent premium hikes for 24 million Americans, particularly in Republican-led states like Florida and Texas. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer stated after the vote, “Our guarantee is to the American people that we’re going to fight as hard as we can for their healthcare, plain and simple.”
Republicans, including Thune, accused Democrats of holding the budget “hostage” to appease their base ahead of 2026 midterms. Trump, in remarks to reporters, escalated tensions by saying, “We’ll be laying off a lot of people. They’re going to be Democrats.” This follows over 150,000 buyouts and tens of thousands of firings earlier in 2025, exacerbating a brain drain at agencies.
Agencies like the Justice Department and Social Security Administration issued memos blaming Democrats for the shutdown, breaching norms against politicizing furloughs. Essential services, including military operations, air traffic control and law enforcement, will continue without pay until Congress acts. Nonessential activities, such as scientific research and customer service, will cease, with tens of thousands furloughed.
Impacts include delayed flights, a postponed October 3 jobs report from the Labor Department, halted Small Business Administration loans and suspended Environmental Protection Agency cleanups. National parks may remain open but with reduced services, and Smithsonian museums could close after initial funding depletes around October 6. The 2018-2019 shutdown, lasting 35 days, cost $3 billion, per the Congressional Budget Office.
Labor unions sued to block mass layoffs, but courts have allowed Trump’s firings to proceed. Democrats like Senator Catherine Cortez Masto warned the shutdown would “hand even more power to this reckless administration.” A White House meeting on Monday yielded no breakthrough, with Trump later posting a deep-fake video mocking Democratic leaders.
This marks the 15th shutdown since 1981, driven by partisan divides over healthcare and spending cuts from July’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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