On Wednesday, October 1st, the United States government announced their first shutdown in over six years. President Donald Trump is now responsible for two government shutdowns during his presidency, and both times, he blamed it on the Democratic Party. But is there some truth in that? Read along as we dive into the government shutdown, analyzing why and how the shutdown happened, and how it impacts the average US citizen.
Why did the shutdown occur?
The 2025 government shutdown happened for one reason: the government was spending too much money, much of it directed towards funding the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act provides healthcare for 44 million Americans, and the Republican Party sought to repeal the act, in turn, significantly reducing government spending. While the Democrats did block the repeal, this wasn’t the main cause for the shutdown, but a government funding bill. The Republican Party proposed a funding bill that would, although carry Congress into late November, would also make major cuts to healthcare and insurance funding. While the Democratic Party again blocked the bill, protecting healthcare for millions, the block caused the government to go into shutdown.
How does the shutdown affect government employees and provisions?
As of October 2025, 22.8 million Americans nationwide are government employees. Although they may not be members of congress, these positions include: law enforcement (ICE, police officers), military personnel, social workers, and air-traffic controller specialists. Even though the shutdown completely cuts off their pay, government workers are all required and expected to return to work in the meantime. They will only start to receive their paychecks after the shutdown ends, which could last from two days to even two months. On the other end of the spectrum, unlike low-level government employees, members of Congress will continue to receive their paychecks in full throughout the shutdown. These pay cuts deepen the unfair flaws of the federal pay system and the lack of accountability in government. While government employees will struggle to cover basic everyday expenses, the people responsible for the shutdown continue to receive their pay in full with no punishment. This doesn’t only expose the flaws of the federal pay system, but also deepens the public distrust of the government, calling for the urgent need for reform.
Along with paychecks being cut, government provisions like grocery vouchers, medicaid, and insurance costs will either be discontinued and/or prices will escalate astronomically. Everyday requirements for more than 180 million Americans like those with: critical health conditions, disabilities, and low-income will see extreme inflation in prices for their treatment, in the end crippling the economy with almost 40 million Americans projected to lose their healthcare. The widespread cuts of pay and provisions doesn’t just hurt a handful of households, it ripples through the entire economy. When these essential programs are cut, hundreds of millions of Americans are negatively impacted, significantly deepening the distrust between US citizens and government.
The Bigger Picture
The 2025 government shutdown revealed deep divisions in Congress, while also exposing the fragile federal funding system in the process. While members of Congress are still being paid in full with no repercussions, millions of average Americans are being left in the dust. The shutdown not only cuts the paychecks of government workers, but also skyrockets the prices of vital health programs like insurance, medicines, and healthcare. Beyond the numbers, the government shutdown highlights how any instability in Congress can easily cause the government to tip over completely, effectively destroying the economy within days. Unless the members of Congress use this government shutdown as a learning lesson, Americans may even see deeper divisions in Congress, leading to more detrimental shutdowns in the upcoming years.
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