The American federal government has been effectively shut down since Wednesday after the US Congress failed to pass a bipartisan funding bill, a development that could erode the country’s image and sap the morale of its team dealing with China, according to analysts.
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The shutdown happened because Congress could not pass either a Democratic-backed proposal aimed at extending healthcare subsidies due to expire soon or a Republican-supported stopgap measure that would have funded the government for seven weeks.
It is Washington’s first government shutdown since 2018, which occurred during US President Donald Trump’s first presidency and became the longest in American history, lasting 35 days into early 2019.
Trump’s Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress, but it needs Democratic support to pass a bill in the Senate, where 60 votes are required. That gives Democrats some leverage to advance their healthcare policy goals.
The Trump administration has already cut spending and begun some lay-offs. A government shutdown could accelerate significant workforce reductions.
Analysts and a former US official said the stoppage would disrupt government operations in the short term and signalled an intensifying polarisation between America’s two major political parties.
