United States of America - September 2025

On 30 September, after an impasse in Congress over funding legislation, the federal government shut down. The last time the government shut down was between December 2018 and January 2019. Senate Republicans and Democrats disagreed over the terms of a bill to continue funding the government. Disagreement concerns the extension of health care subsidies and reversal of cuts to Medicaid (a program that assists some low-income families and other eligible people to cover medical costs), which Democrats have prioritized. The Trump administration warned that the lack of funding approval would result in mass firings of officials (thousands of whom have already been dismissed), and the cancellation of government funded programs. By mid-October, the shutdown continued.

Update: On 12 November, President Trump signed a bill to fund the government after 43 days of shutdown. This was the longest government shutdown in the history of the United States. The legislation is the result of a compromise after a group of Democratic senators agreed to extend funding, in exchange for a vote in December to extend health care subsidies and the reinstatement of fired federal workers. The House of Representatives passed the bill mostly along party lines. The compromise bill funds the government through 30 January.

Sources: CNN, BBC, Reuters, AP, US. Congress