What Makes This US Shutdown Different (as well as Harder to Resolve)?
Government closures have become a recurring element in American political life – however this one feels especially difficult to resolve because of shifting political forces along with deep-seated animosity between both major parties.
Some government services face a temporary halt, and about 750,000 people are expected to be put on furlough without pay as Republicans and Democrats can't agree regarding budget legislation.
Votes aimed at ending the impasse continue to fall short, and it is hard to see an off-ramp in this instance because each side – as well as the President – perceive advantages in digging in.
Here are the four ways in which this shutdown distinct currently.
1. For Democrats, it's about Trump – not just healthcare
Democratic supporters have insisted over recent periods that their party adopt stronger opposition against the Trump administration. Well now Democratic leaders have an opportunity to show their responsiveness.
Earlier this year, Senate leader faced strong criticism for helping pass GOP budget legislation and averting a government closure early this year. This time he's digging in.
This presents an opportunity for the Democratic party to show they can take back some control from an administration pursuing its agenda assertively on its agenda.
Opposing the GOP budget proposal comes with political risk as citizens generally may become impatient as the dispute drags on and impacts accumulate.
The Democrats are using the shutdown fight to put a spotlight on ending healthcare financial support and GOP-backed government healthcare cuts for the poor, which are both unpopular.
Additionally, they're attempting to curtail the President's use of presidential authority to rescind or withhold money approved by Congress, a practice demonstrated in international assistance and other programmes.
2. For Republicans, it's an opportunity
The administration leader and one of his key officials have made little secret of the fact that they smell a chance to make more of the cutbacks to the federal workforce that have featured the current presidential term to date.
The President himself said last week that the shutdown had afforded him an "unprecedented opportunity", and that he would look to reduce funding for "opposition-supported departments".
Administration officials said it would be left with a "challenging responsibility" involving significant workforce reductions to keep essential government services operating should the impasse persist. The Press Secretary described this as "budgetary responsibility".
The extent of possible job cuts remains unclear, but the White House have been consulting with the Office of Management and Budget, or OMB, which is headed by the key official.
The budget director has already announced the suspension of federal funding for regions governed by of the country, including New York City and Chicago.
3. There's little trust on either side
While previous shutdowns typically involved late-night talks among political opponents in an effort to get government services running again, currently there seems little of the same spirit of collaboration this time.
Instead, animosity prevails. The bad blood persisted recently, as both sides blaming each other regarding the deadlock's origin.
House Speaker from the majority party, charged opposition members with insufficient commitment toward resolution, and holding out during discussions "to get political cover".
Meanwhile, the Senate leader levelled the same accusation against their counterparts, stating how a majority party commitment to discuss healthcare subsidies once the government reopens can not be taken seriously.
The administration leader personally has escalated tensions through sharing a computer-created controversial depiction featuring the opposition leader along with another senior opposition figure, in which the representative appears wearing traditional headwear and facial hair.
The affected legislator with party colleagues called this racist, which was denied by the administration's second-in-command.
Fourth, The American Economy is fragile
Analysts expect approximately two-fifths of the federal workforce – over 800,000 workers – to be put on unpaid leave as a result of the government closure.
This will reduce consumer expenditure – with broader economic consequences, as environmental permitting, delayed intellectual property processing, interrupted vendor payments along with various forms of federal operations tied to business cease functioning.
The closure additionally introduces new uncertainty into an economy currently experiencing disruption from multiple factors including trade measures, previous budget reductions, immigration raids and artificial intelligence.
Analysts estimate potential reduction of approximately 0.2% off US economic growth weekly during the closure.
But the economy typically recoups the majority of interrupted operations after a shutdown ends, as it would after disruption caused by a natural disaster.
This might explain partially why financial markets have shown limited reaction to the ongoing impasse.
Conversely, experts indicate should the President carries out his threat of mass firings, economic harm might become extended in duration.