The October 2025 Government Shutdown

On October 1st, 2025, the U.S. government officially shut down after being unable to pass a government funding bill. The shutdown is still in action, with slim hope for a resolution anytime soon. 

Why did the government even shut down?

The government shut down after not being able to pass a government funding bill for the next six months, as the previous six-month bill expired. The bill was unable to pass further because of the feud between Democrats and Republicans, as each party believes the government should be funded differently. 

Democrats

The Democratic Party is in favor of a bigger government, centered around the idea of funding health care and Medicaid to keep drug costs down and make hospital bills cheaper. Since Republicans are shifting away from supporting Medicaid efforts, many refuse to vote in favor of reopening the government.    

Republicans

Rather than help with Medicaid or health care, Republicans would ideally like to continue to focus on defense and immigration efforts to protect our country. Since Republicans are keen on defense and immigration, they have gained little bipartisan effort from Democrats to reopen the government. 

President Trump’s Response

President Trump, along with members of his cabinet, has made it evident that they are willing to negotiate the topic of reopening the government. Despite this, Democratic and Republican leaders have made little progress and are still struggling to pass legislation to reopen the government. 

Who’s to blame?

In an effort to blame the Democrats for the shutdown, Republican leaders and cabinet members have called this “The Democrat Government Shutdown.” Democrats have responded by claiming that it’s rather a “Republican Shutdown,” since they control the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the White House. Both parties have consistently blamed each other; no progress has been made, and it seems that both parties are at fault for not working together to create a funding bill, which is keeping the government shut down.

So, what does a shutdown do?-

A government shutdown immediately freezes pay for federal employees regarded as non-essential. Government services are additionally frozen unless you are deemed essential. Lastly, public services go without funding, causing some places to go unfunded or close down until the government is reopened. Although essential services are still funded, if the shutdown is prolonged, some services may also be defunded and put even more people out of work or out of a salary. 

So, yes, a government shutdown is scary and, unfortunately, now our reality. Although previous government shutdowns occurred during President Trump’s first term, many were resolved quickly. Now, it seems neither party seems to nudge towards a compromise. Much of the government shutdown is just playing politics, as one party blames the other, or won’t agree to terms with the opposite side of the aisle. To us, the answer should be clear: compromise, get the votes needed to reopen the government, and stop blaming each other. People are now losing their salaries, needed services, or daily essentials that help them provide for themselves or their families. We need to put the country over the party, reopen the government, and begin to unite the country rather than divide it.