With just days left before the October 1 deadline, the United States is once again staring at a potential federal government shutdown, unless Congress can break the political deadlock and pass a funding bill.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet top Republicans and Democrats at the White House on Monday in a high-stakes negotiation that could decide whether the federal government shuts down this week.
Deadline pressure builds
Unless lawmakers reach a last-minute agreement, parts of the US government will begin shutting down at midnight on September 30. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget has instructed agencies to activate contingency plans, which include furloughs, layoffs, and the suspension of non-essential services.
Essential operations such as Social Security, military duties, air traffic control, and immigration enforcement will continue, but disruptions are expected in food safety inspections, immigration hearings, and federal regulatory services.
Potential impact
A shutdown could see hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed or forced to work without pay. While the immediate economic fallout may be limited, a prolonged standoff could slow growth, unsettle markets, and erode public confidence in government stability.
Past shutdowns
The US has faced shutdowns before, including a 16-day closure in 2013 and a record 34-day shutdown in 2018, the longest in US history, which affected around 800,000 federal workers.
Political blame game
The current impasse stems from disagreements over a short-term stopgap funding measure. Last week, the Republican-controlled House narrowly passed a spending bill with almost no Democratic support. The Senate, however, rejected rival proposals, deepening the stalemate.
Tensions escalated after Trump cancelled a scheduled meeting with Democratic leaders, dismissing their demands as “unserious.” Democrats, in turn, accused the administration of holding federal workers hostage.
“Democrats will not be intimidated,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of pushing the country toward a shutdown.
House Speaker Mike Johnson countered that Democrats were making “a long laundry list of partisan demands” and insisted that the President was willing to negotiate if talks remained “serious.”
Schumer responded that the outcome depends on Trump’s approach: “If the President at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats… we won’t get anything done. But my hope is it’ll be a serious negotiation.”
What’s next?
The White House meeting will be pivotal. If a compromise isn’t reached, non-essential services will begin winding down after September 30, putting the US on track for yet another government shutdown.