AMERICA woke up on Wednesday to a shuttered federal government after Congress failed to pass a stopgap spending bill.
It’s the first US government shutdown in nearly seven years, with hundreds of thousands of workers being forced off the job and public service grinding to a halt.
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And this time, the fight is over healthcare funding.
Senate Democrats blocked a Republican plan late Tuesday night, voting 55-45 against the measure and denying Republicans the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
GOP leaders had counted on at least eight Democratic defections but got only three — Sens. John Fetterman, Catherine Cortez Masto and Independent Angus King.
Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, but even one of their own, Sen. Rand Paul, voted no.
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At 12.01am, federal agencies began executing shutdown plans.
National parks, museums, passport services and loan processing are going dark.
Food inspections and immigration courts will also slow.
And roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, with more than a million workers working without pay.
President Donald Trump blamed Democrats and made clear he’s ready to use the shutdown to reshape government.
He also threatened mass public-sector job cuts and hinted the pause could be used to kill programs the Democrats support.
Trump said in the Oval Office: “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible – that are bad for them and irreversible by them – by cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.”
“A lot of good can come down from shutdowns,” he said later in the day.
Vice President JD Vance also blamed the Democrats, saying: “I think we’re headed into a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing.”
“Schumer fired back, accusing Republicans of drafting a bill with “not one iota of Democratic input.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Republicans of trying to “bully” his party by refusing to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt, said: “The level of appeasement that Trump demands never ends.
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“So is there a point where you just have to stand up to him? I think there is.”
But Democrats are split, with Sen. Angus King warning that the party’s brinkmanship could backfire.
“Instead of fighting Trump we’re actually empowering him, which is what finally drove my decision,” he said.
The White House Office of Management and Budget ordered agencies to carry out an “orderly shutdown” – a bureaucratic phrase for widespread disruption.
This is Trump’s second shutdown.
His first, in 2018-19, dragged on for 35 days, the longest in US history, before he backed down amid missed paychecks and airport chaos.
This time, Trump appears less inclined to fold.
On Truth Social, he mocked Democratic leaders, even posting a photo from failed talks Tuesday night.
In the Oval Office, he set “Trump 2028” hats on the Resolute Desk beside Diet Cokes — a trolling gesture that sparked laughter in the room but no breakthrough.
For now, Congress has no clear path forward.
Another Senate vote is planned, but most House Republicans aren’t even in Washington.
Americans will feel the pain soon: closed national parks, delayed passports, slower veterans’ services, and unpaid military personnel.
The Postal Service and Social Security will keep running, but nearly everything else will stall.
Markets are bracing for disruption, but analysts expect the long-term economic impact to be limited — unless the standoff drags on.
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