The US government shut down much of its operations on Wednesday as deep partisan divisions prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding deal.
It set off what could be a long, gruelling standoff that may lead to the loss of thousands of federal jobs.
The threat of a US government shutdown has become common in a divided Washington.
The Republican-led House of Representatives passed the latest spending bill on Tuesday and then adjourned, leaving the Senate with the decision to take it or leave it.
President Donald Trump continues to advocate major cuts to government agencies, laying off thousands of federal employees in an attempt battle waste. He has used the threat of more cuts to try to push Congress into passing the budget.
“We are going to cut a lot of the people that … we’re able to cut on a permanent basis,” he told NBC News on Sunday.
What does a US government shutdown mean?
With the shutdown in place, federal agencies have been required to halt all non-essential operations. This is affecting a range of activities, from national parks to passport applications.
Some federal employees have been told not to report to work. More than 800,000 federal employees were furloughed during the 2013 shutdown, according to the Office of Management and Budget. The furloughs would lead to prolonged waiting times on passport applications and small business loans.
Most federal buildings and attractions, such as the Smithsonian museums in Washington, would be closed. National parks would be open, but the National Park Service would not be able to maintain visitor centres, toilets and roads.
How will the shutdown affect the economy?
The shutdown could also affect the US economy and the nation's credit rating, according to Moody's review of past similar situations.
“A shutdown would be credit-negative for the US sovereign,” the credit ratings agency said to clients.
A governmentwide shutdown would reduce economic growth by about 0.15 percentage points for each week it lasts, Goldman Sachs says.
How many times has the government shut down?
The federal government has shut down 21 times over the past five decades. The most recent shutdown was also the longest.
From December 2018 to January 2019, during his first term in office, Mr Trump forced a government shutdown to receive funding for the US-Mexico border wall. That ended after 35 days without any such funding.
It was one of three shutdowns to have happened during Mr Trump's term. The first lasted for three days, and the second only for a few hours.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
The National selections
5pm: RB Hot Spot
5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie
6pm: Taamol
6.30pm: Rmmas
7pm: RB Seqondtonone
7.30pm: AF Mouthirah
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
