Everything you need to know about the government shutdown
By: Cecilia Fountain
The federal government shut down at 12:01 AM ET on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, for the 10th time since 1980. So what does that mean? How does that affect you? How does that affect the people around you? What does it mean for the USA? If you have these questions, you’ve come to the right place. Because here I’ll help you understand what it means when the federal government shuts down
Why is the government shutting down?
Shut down is when Congress is unable to pass the funding bills known as Appropriations, which is what keeps federal agencies running into the next financial year. Federal agencies are organizations within the executive branch of the US government. Examples of this are: Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Transportation, NASA, and Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA. Because the Democratic and Republican parties couldn’t agree on this by 11:59 p.m. on September 30th, 2025, a partial shutdown is now happening.
How many times has this happened?
The US federal government has shut down 10 times. In 1980, the first time this happened, it shut down for one day. In 1981, it also happened again for one day. In 1984, it happened for 4 hours as well as in 1986. In 1990, it happened for 3 days. In 1995, it happened for 5 days. In 1995 through 1996, it happened for 21 days. In 2013, it happened for 16 days. In 2018, it happened for 3 days. And from 2018 to 2019, the longest one on record lasted 35 days. And the one we are experiencing right now in 2025 has been going on for 2 days.
What is this costing
In the past, the government shutdown has cost the US upwards of 2.1 billion dollars, and right now, the government is estimated to lose seven billion dollars every week it stays in gridlock, and a reduction of GDP by 0.1%. The Last shutdown we had, which was under the same president, lasted 34 days and cost the US economy about 11 billion dollars. Not only that, but when the government shuts down, all of the people who work for a federal agency don’t get paid. This means that while the shutdown is happening, no one employed by federal agencies is getting paid, so they are all losing money. The last time this happened was in 2018-2019, when 380,000$ was taken from the worker, and right now, 803,300 has been lost. Also, Donald Trump has talked about cutting these federal agencies’ funding by 20% during this gridlock.
Who is responsible for this?
Because Congress is not able to move forward and pass bills, they are technically the ones responsible for the shutdown. After the major shutdown, the public was asked about who they blamed. 47% said they blame Trump and the Republicans in Congress for the ongoing impasse, another 30% blame the crisis on Congressional Democrats, and 23% said they were not sure.
When will it be fixed?
Hard to determine because the shortest US Government shutdown lasted only a few hours; well, the longest was 35 days. All we know is that right now the government has been shut down for about 2 days, and we cannot really say how long they will be shut down for, but they will be shut down as long as Congress is unable to move forward. But it is expected to go into next week.
Will it affect me and how much?
It depends on who you are. At the moment, if you’re just a student and have no ties to the government, no severe consequences will come your way. However, if you have a parent or guardian or are a part of a federal agency, then you will not be paid, which could be a problem. Also, because TSA workers are also federal workers, they will be working without pay. Meaning that if you’re planning to take a flight soon, the TSA line will be longer and slower. If you’re planning on going to a park, it might be dirtier because the people who clean them are also federal workers.
What will it mean for the US?
Because the US government is shutting down, everything is put on hold. The EPA was hit the hardest by getting 89% of its workers furloughed. The Department of Education comes in a close second with 87% of its workers furloughed, and the Department of Commerce at 81%. Also, the National Institute of Health (NIH) will continue to stay open for its patients in the facility but no new patients will be admitted unless medical assistance is urgently needed. The FDA will also only continue a small amount of research and will slow down all new drug/device approvals, as well as new research grants. The majority of veterans will continue to be paid. The military will stay on guard even without pay. But the Department of Education is still giving out financial aid. All of these things being held up are detrimental to the government and to U.S citizens. But it is not the first time it has happened, so as long as it doesn’t go on for too long, it won’t be hard to fix.
Sources
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/10/02/poll-americans-blame-trump-republicans-for-shutdown/86474339007/
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/30/nx-s1-5557396/poll-shutdown-congress-trump-approval-rating
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/02/government-shutdown-regular-people-effect
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/government-shutdown-2025-air-travel-social-security-impact-rcna235119
https://www.nbcnews.com/data-graphics/longest-government-shutdown-us-history-president-administration-rcna234766
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-government-shut-midnight/story?id=126067361
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_shutdowns_in_the_United_States
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-costs-economy-taxpayers/