The Growing Government Shutdown

Alex Ellis, ‘26

Managing Editor

     On October 1st at 12:01 am, the federal government shutdown due to disagreements between Democrats and Republicans about federal funding, raising questions about the shutdown’s potential effects on the economy and the nation altogether.

     According to CBS News, Leaders in Congress “met with President Trump on” September 29th, but they made “little progress” in preventing the shutdown. Republicans were not seeking a shutdown and wanted to extend current funding levels for 7 weeks, but Democrats wanted an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies and would not budge. The Senate also brought up a House-passed bill as another attempt to keep the government funded, but there was a lack of Democratic support. 

     The shutdown is expected to have economic consequences. Economists are particularly concerned with its impact on the job market. According to Forbes, it is expected that there will be government job layoffs, and the shutdown will continue to harm the declining labor market as a whole. The economy will get worse the longer that the shutdown lasts, so negotiations are key.

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios