The federal government is officially shut down after a deadlocked Congress controlled by Republicans failed to strike a last-minute deal on funding. Another Senate vote earlier Wednesday to end the stalemate failed just hours into the closure.
Democrats and Republicans are at odds over expiring health care subsidies with leaders of both parties lobbing the blame at each other. The Congressional Budget Office estimates roughly 750,000 federal employees could be furloughed each day of the shutdown, at a total daily cost of roughly $400 million.
Government analysts say the immediate effects won’t be visible to the public, services from food safety to environmental protection will grind to a halt. While people who work military or security jobs, like airport personnel will remain on the job but won’t be paid.
It’s the first government shutdown since 2018 during President Donald Trump’s first term, which lasted a record 35 days. This time, though, many agree there’s a more bitter partisan divide.
In an interview with NJ Spotlight News, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) criticized House Republicans for failing to show up for negotiations while continuing to receive pay during the shutdown. Members of Congress are still paid during a shutdown, as designated by the Constitution.
“Speaker Johnson has given the Republicans there a free vacation,” Kim said. “Federal workers and our military are not getting paid, but House Republicans aren’t even in D.C. to negotiate.”
Kim also blasted the Trump administration’s announcement that it would withhold nearly $18 billion in funding from the Gateway Tunnel and Second Avenue Subway projects. The U.S. Department of Transportation said the move was part of an administrative review into alleged “discriminatory” contracting practices.
Kim called it “illegal punishment and retribution,” warning it sets a dangerous precedent. “This is not how a president should act,” he said. “It’s an abuse of power.”
The senator, a former federal civil servant himself, noted he is foregoing his own paycheck during the shutdown out of solidarity with furloughed workers.
“There’s no negotiating happening because they’re not even in the building,” Kim said of House Republicans. “It’s a complete abdication of leadership.”
