Senators failed to agree on a last-ditch funding bill, known as a continuing resolution. This has resulted in the US Government shutting down for the first time since the end of 2018.
The shutdown is likely to bring non-essential US Government services to a temporary halt.
The Republicans and Democrats are placing fault on each other for the failure to pass the bill which needed the approval of 60 out of 100 Senators. The bill only recieved the approval of 53 Senators.
The shutdown won’t be resolved until Congress manages to pass a funding bill.
It is estimated that around 750,000 federal workers will now be on unpaid leave according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
It is believed the cost of their compensation with be around $400 million, (£297 million), the CBO has said.
However, members of the Congress will continue to be paid as is it required by the US contitution.
Healthcare was the principal point of contention between the Republicans and Democrats. Failure to agree on a Democrat-backed spending bill which would have extended health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and reversed cuts to Medicaid, as well as the GOP-backed stopgap funding, which would have funded the government for seven weeks has resulted in this shutdown.
Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, urged Republicans to negiotiate after the upper chamber failed to pass a measure which would have averted the shutdown.
At a news conference following the senatorial votes on Tuesday night, Schumer said: “We want to sit down and negotiate, but the Republicans can’t do it in their partisan way, where they just say it’s our way or the highway”.
Schumer added this morning that the Republicans: “Can’t bully us” and they “did nothing to protect American healthcare”.
This follows what US Vice-President JD Vance told Fox News this morning: “The longer this drags on, the worse it is for the American people”.
Vance said he was “gratified” that some Democrats voted for the Republican bill last night, however he added that they need to “work together” on ensuring Americans have affordable healthcare.
He also told Fox News that the Democrats are taking the government “hostage” over healthcare costs.
Vance has said he wants the government to reopen and that when this happens they will sit down with the Democrats.
In response, Schumer said: “They’ve had since March to do this.”
Following this discourse, at 10am EST, Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson took to the podium in front of the National Mall to discuss the shutdown.
He said: “Today, America’s boys and girls will walk up to these doors and see something different: a sign that says closed until further notice.”
Johnson quickly placed blame on the Democrats. He said the shutdown could have been avoided if the Democrats had worked with the Republicans to keep the government open.
The Democrats have been saying the opposite, blaming the Republicans for shutting down the government as they refused to negotiate.
Johnson continued: “As we speak here this morning, there are hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are getting their furlough notices”.
He says that half of the US civilian workforce is being sent home, as troops and border patrol agents will “have to go to work, but they’ll be working without pay.”
“Food assistance, veterans benefits and vital support for women and children are all coming to a halt.”
Johnson added that President Trump is trying to reduce the impact but said: “The longer this goes on, the more pain will be inflicted.”
Additionally, it has now been announced that the Washington Monument, a major tourist attraction run by the National Park Service, is one of the first things to have been closed amid the government shutdown.
Trump has also warned that there would be “irreversible” layoffs of federal employees if lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on the spending plan.
Featured image via Martin Falbisoner / Wikimedia Commons
