U.S. government shuts down as lawmakers fail to agree on funding bill

The U.S. federal government has officially shut down after lawmakers failed to reach agreement on a last-minute funding plan before the midnight deadline in Washington DC.

It marks the first shutdown since 2018 and will see hundreds of thousands of federal workers placed on unpaid leave while many government programs and services are halted. The Republican-controlled Senate was unable to pass a spending bill, triggering the shutdown.

In the aftermath, both parties traded blame. Democrats accused Republicans of failing to govern responsibly, with Congressman Bill Foster saying families would “continue to pay the price” unless Republicans negotiated, while California Governor Gavin Newsom called President Trump “a very weak man.”

Republicans countered by accusing Democrats of prioritising “illegal aliens” over American workers, with Representative Chuck Fleischmann saying Democrats had “officially shut down our government.” Fellow Republican Dusty Johnson criticised both sides, calling shutdowns “stupid” and warning that American workers’ paychecks were at risk.

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