The first United States government shutdown in seven years ran from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12. Each year, government officials review bills to decide how to distribute the federal budget. However, when Congress cannot reach a consensus on how to allocate funds, the government is forced to suspend some of its regular processes.
Each fiscal year — which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 — has a federal budget put toward paying national debt, funding Social Security and Medicaid, paying veterans’ taxes, and more. The recent shutdown was the result of disagreement between Republican and Democratic officials regarding federal funding for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Republican and Democratic representatives in Congress were unable to reach an agreement about how much money to allocate to the ACA. The ACA’s aim is to expand the reach of affordable healthcare by lowering the cost of health insurance through government subsidies for eligible families. When it first became law, the ACA also expanded Medicaid to cover all adults with an income below 138% of the federal poverty level.
Democrats pushed to make more Americans eligible for Medicaid by giving the ACA additional funding. Republicans, however, held fears surrounding the costs the expansion of Medicaid would bring upon the government, citing concerns about the money providing healthcare for undocumented immigrants. “There is no path forward for the nearly $1.5 trillion Democrat wish list that would include free healthcare for illegals,” Republican California State Legislators wrote in a statement published on the White House website on Sept. 27.
In a Sept. 30 press release, California Governor Gavin Newsom pointed out how the shutdown’s budget cuts affected people across the country. “Trump is shutting down the government — making monthly health care costs jump hundreds of dollars for millions, putting food assistance for people in need at risk, and making troops go without pay,” he wrote.
Because officials could not come to a consensus on the funding bills, the shutdown lasted for 43 days. Ayana Kang ’28 commented on the lack of efficiency. “Instead of trying to resolve the conflict, [the government was] just creating more disagreement,” they said.
During the government shutdown, approximately 1.4 million federal workers did not receive paychecks. The government furloughed non-essential workers, placing them on unpaid leave. However, essential workers — such as those in the military, public safety and healthcare — were required to continue working without pay.
Certain barriers prevent money from being distributed by the government during a shutdown. The Antideficiency Act prohibits federal agencies from spending money without permission from Congress. As a result, the government cannot distribute paychecks to federal workers until Congress has passed appropriate funding bills.
Spanish teacher Raina Mast’s spouse is an essential worker. “He still has to work, which means he can’t go and pick up other work,” she said. “[He] isn’t getting paid, so we have to make sure that our financial budget is secure and that we’re able to pay our bills.”
The shutdown’s effects on daily life can depend on personal circumstances. “Having financial freedom allows you not to feel a lot of the effects of this government shutdown, but if you don’t have as much financial liberty, … you’re gonna feel those effects a lot more,” Dash Thompson ’26 said.
On Nov. 12, the House of Representatives passed a spending bill that President Trump signed and approved, ending the 43-day-long shutdown. During the shutdown, Trump repeatedly blamed the Democrats on the official White House website and in multiple in-person interviews.
Some feel that the president should have focused more on resolving the shutdown and less on pointing fingers. “I feel like [Trump] should be … [focusing on] what happened and what went wrong,” Olivia Prime ’27 said. “He should have a way to deal with this, because if people aren’t getting paid and if people are living by check-by-check, he just [needs to] think about the people.”