The federal government is now officially closed.
Beginning in the early hours of Wednesday Washington time, the federal government exhausted its funding.
Agencies and departments designed to protect consumers, workers, and investors are currently non-operational, along with national parks and museums.
Most federal workers are not being paid – an estimated three-quarters of a million may face temporary leave – even staff mandated to stay at work, such as military personnel and air-traffic controllers.
So-called “mandatory” spending, including Social Security and Medicare payments, are continuing, yet payments may arrive late. Work on the new White House ballroom will continue uninterrupted.
Government shutdowns signal a system in disarray.
I’ve been directly involved in two, including during my tenure as labor secretary. The ensuing fear, frustration, and chaos are difficult to convey. I recall spending the first day consoling employees – many in tears as they headed out the door.
There have been eight shutdowns since 1990. Four of those have occurred under Trump’s administration.
But this shutdown is different.
To begin with, it’s the consequence of a decision made in July by Trump and Senate Republicans to pass Trump’s gigantic “big beautiful bill” (which I prefer to term “the big ugly” bill) with zero Democratic support.
This was possible due to the Senate’s “reconciliation” process, which allowed the big ugly to get through with just 51 votes rather than the normal 60 required to overcome a filibuster.
The vote was extremely close. All Senate Democrats opposed the legislation. When three Senate Republicans joined them, JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote. Certain Republicans boasted about passing it without Democratic support.
The legislation drastically shifted government priorities. It cut about $1tn from healthcare programs, including Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, causing health insurance premiums to skyrocket for millions come January.
The bill also reduced nutrition aid and environmental safeguards, while bulking up immigration enforcement and cutting the taxes of wealthy Americans and big corporations.
At that time, Republicans required no Democratic votes. However, now, Republicans couldn’t use the arcane reconciliation process to pass a bill to keep the government going.
Now Democratic Senate votes were essential.
But funding the government meant upholding the very bill all Senate Democrats rejected.
Which is why Senate Democrats refused to sign on unless most of the big ugly’s cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act were restored, to prevent premium hikes next year.
Even if Senate Democrats had obtained that concession, the Republican bill to keep the government going would retain all the tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations contained in the big ugly, along with all the cuts in nutrition assistance, and all the increased funding for immigration enforcement.
There’s a deeper irony here.
In practice, the government has been partially closed for over eight months, since Trump’s return to office.
Trump and the sycophants surrounding him, such as Russell Vought, the director of the office of management and budget, and previously Elon Musk, have readily shuttered disliked government segments – like USAID.
They’ve also acted to dismiss or furlough vast numbers of federal workers doing work they don’t value, such as those working at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
They’ve impounded appropriations from Congress for activities they oppose, throughout the federal system.
At the shutdown’s outset, Vought declared an $18 billion freeze on infrastructure funds for New York City (home to the Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and the House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries).
These actions are unlawful, but courts may not intervene in time to stop widespread harm.
Vought threatened to permanently fire more federal employees if the Democrats didn’t vote to continue funding the government. Yet he could have done so before the shutdown, and the shutdown offers no extra leverage.
In fact, the administration’s readiness to ignore Congress and shutter government parts is another reason Democrats should have held firm.
Had Democrats voted to keep the government going, what guarantee would they have had that Trump would in fact keep the government going?
Democrats now possess bargaining power. They ought to utilize it.
Should millions lose health coverage in January because they can no longer afford to pay sky-high premiums, Trump and Republicans will face blame.
The responsibility lies with Trump and Republicans regardless – it stems from their legislation – but now, in the fight over whether to reopen the government, Americans can witness Democrats defending their interests.
