Citizens feel the pain as U.S. government shutdown drags

There've been several government shutdowns in the United States over the years; however, the country is now enduring its longest-ever shutdown as the standoff between lawmakers drags on into a fifth week under the Trump administration.

The funding lapse began on October 1, 2025, when Congress failed to pass the annual appropriation bills for the next fiscal year. By November 4 and 5, the shutdown had reached 35-36 days, officially topping the previous 35-day record from 2018-2019, under the same administration.

Republicans and Democrats disagree over whether to include extensions of health-insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in a stopgap funding bill.

Democrats say that without the subsidy extension, millions of Americans will face higher premiums and reduced coverage. Republicans counter that the government must reopen first, and that health policy should be negotiated separately.

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As this issue drags on, many federal workers remain on the job without pay, while others are suspended.

LaShanda Palmer, a federal employee of the Transportation Security Administration, lamented to People in October that she had yet to receive her paycheck.

"I don't want to get an eviction notice. I'm in a position right now, come November 1st, where my rent may not get paid because I don't have it to pay it. And it's not that I don't work for it because I am working for it. I should have it," she said.

A letter from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) also warned that the shutdown could shave up to 2% off quarterly GDP and result in between US$7 billion and US$14 billion in permanent losses.

On a global scale, air travel is already being affected as hundreds of flights were delayed at major airports over the weekend.