- The closure Interrupting critical economic data affects federal workers.
- The Senate rejects the expenditure measure, deepens the partisan division.
- Analysts warn that closure could last longer than past closings.
Washington: The American government closed a large part of its operations on Wednesday while deep partisan divisions prevented the congress and the White House from reaching a financing agreement, triggering what could be an exhausting confrontation which could lead to the loss of thousands of federal jobs.
There was no clear route out of the dead end, while agencies warned that the 15th government closure since 1981 interrupted the release of a monitored September employment report, the slowdown in plane trips, suspend scientific research, retain the remuneration of American troops and cause the leave of 750,000 federal workers at a daily cost of $ 400 million.
Trump, whose campaign to radically reshape the federal government is already on the right track to push some 300,000 workers by December, warned the Democrats in Congress that a closure could open the way for “irreversible” actions, in particular by reducing more jobs and programs.
The closure began a few hours after the Senate rejected a short -term expenditure measure which has maintained government operations afloat until November 21.
Democrats have opposed the legislation on the refusal of the Republicans to attach an extension of health benefits for millions of Americans, who must expire at the end of the year. Republicans say that the question must be addressed separately.
The cause of government financing is $ 1.7 billion of agency operations, which represents approximately a quarter of the total budget of 7 billions of government dollars. A large part of the rest goes to health and retirement programs and interest payments on the growing debt of 37.5 billions of dollars.
Independent analysts warn that the closure could last longer than closings related to the past budget, Trump and White House officials leading to punish Democrats with cuts in government programs and the federal wage bill.
Trump budget director Russell Vought, who called for “less bipartite” credits, threatened permanent layoffs last week in the event of closure.
Non -partisan measurement of partisan horsemen
The longest closure of the government in the history of the United States extended more than 35 days in December 2018 and January 2019 during Trump’s first term, in a border security dispute.
“All they want is trying to intimidate us. And they will not succeed,” said the Democrat chief of the Senate, Chuck Schumer
The head of the majority of the Senate, John Thune, described the short -term expenditure bill as a “non -partisan” measure devoid of partisan policy runners that Democrats had no problem accepting in the past years.
“What has changed is that President Trump is in the White House. This is what it is. This is politics. And there is no substantial reason why there should be a closure of the government,” said the Southern Dakota Republican.
Trump republicans hold majorities in the two chambers of the congress, but the legislative rules require that 60 of the 100 senators agree on expenditure legislation. This means that at least seven democrats are necessary to adopt a financing bill.
Focus on financing health care
Democrats are under pressure from their frustrated supporters to win a rare victory before the mid-term elections in 2026 who will determine control of the Congress for the last two years of Trump’s mandate.
The push of health care gave them a chance to unite with a problem that resonates with voters.
In addition to prolonged health subsidies, Democrats have also sought to make sure that Trump will not be able to cancel these changes if signed.
Trump refused to spend billions of dollars approved by the congress, which prompted some Democrats to wonder why they should vote for any expenditure legislation.
Professor Robert Pape of the University of Chicago, said that the US political climate unusually polarized following the assassination of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the growing power on the extreme wings of the two parties could make more difficult for party leaders to agree on an agreement to reopen the government.
“The rules of the policy change radically and we cannot know with certainty where all this will end,” said political science professor at the University of Chicago, Robert Pape, who studies political violence.
“Each party should go back against tens of millions of truly aggressive supporters, their own voters, which will be really difficult to do for them,” he said.
Before the closure, Trump stretched out his own supporters with a Deepfake video showing manipulated images of Schumer seeming to criticize the Democrats while the best Democrat in the Hakeem Jeffries room was stood next to him, with a sombrero and a roughly imposed mustache on his face.
“It was childish. It was mean,” Schumer told journalists. “It is something that a five-year-old child would not, not a president of the United States. But it shows how it is.
