The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a stopgap funding bill before the Oct. 1 deadline, triggering furloughs and service disruptions across agencies.
The Office of Personnel Management announced the shutdown after midnight. At a basic level, a shutdown means non-essential operations pause while “excepted” functions continue, often with employees working without pay until Congress acts. OPM’s shutdown guidance confirms furloughed staff will receive back pay once the lapse ends, while excepted employees’ pay is delayed until funding is restored. (RELATED: Schumer’s Bid To Shut Down Government Exposes Democratic Fissures)
“After months of making life harder and more expensive, Donald Trump and Republicans have now shut down the federal government because they do not want to protect the healthcare of the American people,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement early Wednesday.
Donald Trump and his Republican cronies have officially shut down the government. pic.twitter.com/Rr2H9ktAwZ
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) October 1, 2025
The White House, meanwhile, published a running “government shutdown clock” and blamed Democrats for blocking a short-term extension.
Agencies will execute contingency plans determining which programs pause and which continue under legal exceptions. OPM’s status bulletin for the Washington, D.C., area notes operations now “vary by agency.”
Lawmakers missed the deadline after the Senate failed to clear a House-passed stopgap that needed 60 votes but drew 55–45, according to the Senate roll call. A Democratic alternative also fell short earlier in September under the chamber’s 60-vote threshold, leaving no vehicle to keep money flowing.
The core fight was over whether a short-term bill would extend enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies set to lapse after 2025. Democratic leaders said they wouldn’t advance a CR that didn’t lock in those subsidies, while Republicans pushed their own package and argued Democrats were forcing a shutdown to gain leverage.
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