Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Washington, DC (WNN) - The U.S. government has officially shut down at midnight on October 1. This is because Congress and the White House were unable to reach a funding agreement. This has halted many federal operations and resulted in the furlough of hundreds of thousands of employees, with no clear resolution in sight.
The Republican Party controls both chambers of Congress. However, it requires democratic support to pass a bill in the Senate, as it requires 60 votes. Unfortunately, the two sides were unable to craft a bipartisan bill, with the Senate rejecting both a proposal from the GOP and one from the Democrats just hours before the deadline to avoid a shutdown.
This effectively ended any chance of keeping the government running. Currently, there is no timeline for when a compromise will be reached.
As many as 4 million federal workers, including some military personnel, may not receive their pay. Hundreds of thousands—such as airport security staff, air traffic controllers, and certain military personnel—will still have to report to work, as they're considered essential. ICE agents will also be working without pay. This could lead to the closure of national parks and places like the Smithsonian museums.
Approximately 2 million troops could be forced to work without pay, including many National Guard members that Trump has deployed to various cities across the U.S.
Federal contractors, such as janitors and security guards who are paid by the hour, will not be required to work and won't be guaranteed back pay. Meanwhile, lawmakers on Capitol Hill will continue to rake in their annual salaries of $174,000.
Most of federal spending goes to what's called "mandatory" spending, which includes payments by Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and it won't be touched.
While Government officials say these payments will not be affected, other services might experience delays, such as receiving replacement cards and benefit verification services. The U.S. Postal Service will remain in operation, as it has its own funding and isn't reliant on Congress.
The shutdown puts around 7 million low-income women and their young kids who depend on programs like WIC—the federal nutrition aid for women, infants, and children—that assist with groceries and health care at risk.
This shutdown marks the first in President Trump's second term, raising concerns about the stability of the federal government. During his first term, the December 2018 shutdown lasted for 35 days, resulting in a loss of approximately $3 billion in economic activity.
Now, community groups in Washington, DC, and other areas are preparing for an increased demand in requests for help, as families hit by paycheck delays seek support from food banks and charities.
The Pentagon has laid out contingency plans indicating that approximately 2 million troops, including many National Guard members deployed to various U.S. cities for Trump's crime crackdown, may have to work without pay next month due to the government shutdown. This is unless legislation is passed to protect service members.
If a deal is not reached early in the month to protect the troops, Defense Department personnel will be forced to go without pay for the first time in many years. In 2018, Coast Guard personnel went without pay as employees of the Department of Homeland Security.
With lawmakers at odds and federal employees preparing for the possibility of delayed pay, the country is waiting for Washington to reach a compromise. Currently, millions of Americans are left wondering when things will return to normal—and when the government will operate smoothly again.
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