Summary
The U.S. government has shut down because Congress has not agreed on a funding bill. This affects many non-essential services and puts federal employees at risk of losing work. Lawmakers are considering different options to resolve the shutdown, but disagreements remain.
Key Facts
- The U.S. government shutdown started because of a disagreement in Congress over funding.
- Non-essential services are closed, affecting things like passport processing and national parks.
- Hundreds of thousands of federal workers might be furloughed or lose their jobs temporarily.
- Democrats want to extend health care tax credits and restore Medicaid cuts; Republicans oppose this.
- Congress is considering a temporary solution called a continuing resolution to reopen the government for a short time.
- Other solutions include partial funding bills for specific areas like defense or a full one-year funding package.
- A spending bill failed to pass the Senate after succeeding in the House of Representatives.
- For a spending bill to pass in the Senate, it needs bipartisan support.
