The US Government Shutdown

On October 1, the US government shut down because Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to reach a consensus on a budget. Essentially, neither party could agree on how to allocate funding for government services, with arguments over spending levels, health insurance subsidies, and foreign aid. This has led to a stalemate where no budget was passed because the votes required could not be reached.

Gridlock is a common occurrence in US politics. The rigorous system of checks and balances, devised to prevent any abuses of power, means that legislation is intentionally difficult to pass through both chambers of Congress (The House of Representatives and the Senate). It was designed to promote thoughtful law-making.

All bills require majorities in both chambers to be passed into law, only the most sound and robust bills will be voted through. In practice, however, this means that bills which should get passed oftentimes don’t, and any bill that does pass through Congress was most likely sponsored by powerful donors.

The result this time was the shutdown of the US government, meaning that several essential government services are no longer, or only partially, available for Americans. This includes the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and various food aid programs. Furthermore, 900,000 federal employees were furloughed, and another 700,000 are left working without pay.

The real story, however, is the reaction to this. Republicans are blaming Democrats for the shutdown, even though it is the Republicans who have majorities in both the House and the Senate. The issue has become so politicised, that even the official White House website’s front page currently has a banner which states “Democrats Have Shut Down the Government”, alongside a timer showing how long the government has been shutdown). As of November 5, the government has been shut for 4 weeks.

When this banner is clicked, you are taken to a page that states “Americans Don’t Agree with Democrats’ Actions,” followed by a drop-down menu of numerous Republican donors and their statements denouncing the Democrats for their supposed fault in the shutdown of the government.

These donors include the 1776 Project Foundation, a right-wing thinktank, and the pro-life organisation '40 Days for Life’ who state “The Left is willing to shut down the government to protect NPR, climate scams, and DEI bloat—yet not a word about cutting a dime from Planned Parenthood."

Overall, the actions of the Republican Party post-shutdown are a good litmus test for the state of US politics in 2025. Firstly, it showcases the ineptitude of the government with the very fact that no budget could be agreed upon. Secondly, it highlights the increasing polarisation of government and the divisive nature of Trump’s Republicans. As stated, they have majorities in both the House and the Senate, and therefore the upper hand in negotiations about which bills get passed. The fact that no agreement could be reached shows an unwillingness to compromise, even in the face of the government shutdown. 

In short, American politics is often frustrated by red tape, bureaucracy and government shutdowns (having occurred three times in 2018 and once in 2013). However, this inability to govern is only exacerbated by the divisiveness of Trump’s Republicans, who shamelessly blame Democrats and deify Trump. They push their own right-wing ideology as objective fact by including heavily partisan politics on federal websites. It speaks to a willingness to throw Americans under the bus in the name of political point scoring; a government shutdown is worth it if you can plaster a large countdown on the White House website and blame the Democrats for it.