{"id":269870,"date":"2025-10-01T18:51:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T18:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/269870\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T18:51:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T18:51:16","slug":"government-shutdown-begins-as-nation-faces-new-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/269870\/","title":{"rendered":"Government shutdown begins as nation faces new uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 A vote to swiftly end the government shutdown<\/a> failed Wednesday, as Democrats in the Senate held firm to the party\u2019s demands to fund health care<\/a> subsidies that President Donald Trump<\/a> and Republicans refuse to provide.<\/p>\n

The tally showed cracks in the Democrats\u2019 resolve on day one of the shutdown but offered no breakthrough<\/a>. Blame was being cast on all sides. The White House and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep programs and services open, throwing the country into a new cycle of uncertainty.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People take photos with a sign announcing that the Library of Congress is closed, on the first day of a partial government shutdown, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n

People take photos with a sign announcing that the Library of Congress is closed, on the first day of a partial government shutdown, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Vice President JD Vance warned of firings of federal workers ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be honest, if this thing drags on for another few days or, God forbid, another few weeks, we are going to have to lay people off,\u201d Vance said during a visit to the White House briefing room.<\/p>\n

Roughly 750,000 federal workers<\/a> were expected to be furloughed, with some potentially fired<\/a> by Trump\u2019s Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered<\/a>, perhaps permanently, as the president vows to \u201cdo things that are irreversible\u201d to punish Democrats. Trump\u2019s deportation agenda<\/a> is expected to run full speed ahead, while education<\/a>, environmental<\/a> and other services sputter. The economic fallout<\/a> is expected to ripple nationwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI certainly pray they will come to their senses,\u201d House Speaker Mike Johnson<\/a> said, flanked by GOP leaders at the Capitol.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n AP AUDIO: Government shutdown begins as the nation faces a new period of uncertainty\n <\/p>\n

The government shutdown has begun. AP correspondent Donna Warder reports.<\/p>\n

This is the third time Trump has presided over a federal funding lapse<\/a> and the first since his return to the White House this year. His record underscores the polarizing divide over budget priorities in a political climate that rewards hard-line positions rather than more traditional compromises.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Speaker<\/p>\n

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, of La., center, shakes hands with Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., left, as they walk with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, of Wyo., right to a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, of La., center, shakes hands with Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., left, as they walk with Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, of Wyo., right to a press conference at the Capitol on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

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Plenty of blame being thrown around<\/p>\n

The Democrats picked this fight<\/a>, which was unusual for the party that prefers to keep government running, but their voters are eager to challenge<\/a> the president\u2019s second-term agenda. Democrats are demanding funding for health care subsidies that are expiring for millions of people under the Affordable Care Act, causing the insurance premiums to spike<\/a> nationwide.<\/p>\n

Republicans have refused to negotiate<\/a> and have encouraged Trump to steer clear of any talks. After convening a White House meeting this week with the Democratic leaders, the president posted a cartoonish fake video mocking the Democratic leadership that was widely viewed as unserious and racist<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s behavior has become more erratic and unhinged,\u201d Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer<\/a> and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> said in a joint statement. \u201cInstead of negotiating a bipartisan agreement in good faith, he is obsessively posting crazed deepfake videos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about the images depicting Jeffries with a mustache and a sombrero, Vance dismissed it as \u201cfunny.\u201d<\/p>\n

What neither side has devised is an easy off-ramp to prevent what could become a protracted closure. The ramifications are certain to spread beyond the political arena, upending the lives of Americans who rely on the government for benefit payments, work contracts and the many services being thrown into turmoil.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Senate<\/p>\n

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., attends a news conference about the government shutdown, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, on Capitol Hill, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., attends a news conference about the government shutdown, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, on Capitol Hill, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jacquelyn Martin)<\/p>\n

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Economic fallout expected to ripple nationwide<\/p>\n

An economic jolt could be felt in a matter of days. The government is expected Friday to produce its monthly jobs report, which may or may not be delivered.<\/p>\n

Wall Street veered toward losses<\/a> before the opening bell Wednesday as the government shutdown<\/a> went into effect just after midnight, but stocks drifted around their record highs later in the day.<\/p>\n

Across the government, stoppages were getting underway. Trump\u2019s Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russ Vought, directed agencies to execute plans not just for furloughs, which are typical during a federal funding lapse, but mass firings<\/a> of federal workers. It\u2019s part of the Trump administration\u2019s mission, including its Department of Government Efficiency, to shrink the government.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Rep.<\/p>\n

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., gives a tour of the Capitol to a group of students from New York after their previously-scheduled tour was canceled due to the government shutdown on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., gives a tour of the Capitol to a group of students from New York after their previously-scheduled tour was canceled due to the government shutdown on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s staying open and shutting down<\/p>\n

The Medicare and Medicaid health care programs are expected to continue, though staffing shortages could mean delays for some services. The Pentagon would still function. And most employees will stay on the job at the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n

But Trump has warned that the administration could focus on programs that are important to Democrats, \u201ccutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like.\u201d<\/p>\n

As agencies sort out which workers are essential, or not, Smithsonian museums are expected to stay open at least until Monday. A group of former national park superintendents<\/a> urged the administration to close the parks to visitors, arguing that poorly staffed parks in a shutdown are a danger to the public and put park resources at risk. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People stand near an entrance to Zion National Park, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Springdale, Utah. (AP Photo\/John Locher)<\/p>\n

People stand near an entrance to Zion National Park, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Springdale, Utah. (AP Photo\/John Locher)<\/p>\n

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No easy exit as health care costs soar <\/p>\n

Ahead of Wednesday\u2019s start of the fiscal year, House Republicans had approved a temporary funding bill, over opposition from Democrats, to keep government running into mid-November while broader negotiations continue.<\/p>\n

But that bill has failed repeatedly<\/a> in the Senate, including Wednesday, on a 55-45 vote. It needs 60 votes to advance, which requires cooperation between the two parties in a chamber where the GOP has a 53-47 majority. A Democratic bill also failed.<\/p>\n

Divisions within the Democrats are apparent, as three senators again crossed over to join Republicans, signaling that Democratic leverage may be eroding. One Republican opposed the GOP plan.<\/p>\n

During the roll call, an widening group of senators engaged in an intense conversation, including GOP Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who has been talking with colleagues about the idea of a one-year extension of the expiring health care subsidies.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just one thought, and there are other ideas that are out there,\u201d Rounds said afterward.<\/p>\n

Senate Majority Leader John Thune<\/a>, who has said Republicans are happy to discuss the health care issue \u2014 but not as part of talks to keep the government open \u2014 is working to peel off more Democrats to his side.<\/p>\n

Vance agreed, saying he has been in talks with senators about finding more Democratic votes to reopen the government.<\/p>\n

The standoff is a political test for Schumer<\/a>, who has drawn scorn from a restive base of left-flank voters pushing the party to hold firm in its demands for health care funding.<\/p>\n

Johnson<\/a> sent lawmakers home nearly two weeks ago after having passed the GOP bill, but said they would be back next week.<\/p>\n

Trump, during his meeting with the congressional leaders, expressed surprise at the scope of the rising costs of health care, but Democrats left with no path toward talks.<\/p>\n

During Trump\u2019s first term, the nation endured its longest-ever shutdown, 35 days, over his demands for funds Congress refused to provide to build his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.<\/p>\n

In 2013, the government shut down for 16 days during the Obama presidency over GOP demands to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Other closures date back decades.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Associated Press writers Matt Brown, Joey Cappelletti, Aamer Madhani, Will Weissert, Fatima Hussein and other AP reporters nationwide contributed to this report.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 A vote to swiftly end the government shutdown failed Wednesday, as Democrats in the Senate…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":269871,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[3881,11744,64,8120,84,69,57,330,49089,8123,210,9166,2066,8121,2222,8119,255,80,18464,17051,89,121682,61,322,67,132,68,333,93],"class_list":{"0":"post-269870","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-ap-top-news","9":"tag-barack-obama","10":"tag-business","11":"tag-charles-schumer","12":"tag-district-of-columbia","13":"tag-donald-trump","14":"tag-general-news","15":"tag-government-programs","16":"tag-government-shutdown","17":"tag-hakeem-jeffries","18":"tag-health","19":"tag-health-care-industry","20":"tag-jd-vance","21":"tag-john-thune","22":"tag-mexico","23":"tag-mike-johnson","24":"tag-personal-finance","25":"tag-politics","26":"tag-russell-vought","27":"tag-subsidies","28":"tag-u-s-democratic-party","29":"tag-u-s-government-shutdown","30":"tag-u-s-news","31":"tag-u-s-republican-party","32":"tag-united-states","33":"tag-unitedstates","34":"tag-us","35":"tag-voting","36":"tag-washington-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115300420182468792","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269870","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269870"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269870\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}