On Oct. 1, 2025 at 12:01 a.m., the government was shut down after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement on the budget for the 2026 fiscal year. Each party had very different views on how to fund the government.
On one hand, Republicans wanted to keep spending at a similar level to the 2025 fiscal year; however, they were looking to cut services like Medicaid, the health care under the Affordable Care Act, and various other government organizations like USAID and Public Media.
On the other hand, Democrats aim to expand these social services, like more premium tax credits for the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans strongly opposed.
Many blame partisan gridlock as the cause of government shutdowns, especially those in President Trump’s first term, and this one was no exception.
“In Social Studies, we learn how through American history politicians were able to compromise most of the time, but we are in one of those time periods where compromise is hard to come by,” said social studies teacher Mr. Jeremy Klaff.
Neither spending proposal had universal support, either from hardline senators or the American public.
“Even though we need to cut our debt, I do not think that it is a good idea to get rid of social services, but we also should not expand them,” said freshman Quinton Clark.
Despite a majority of senators supporting the Republican-backed spending bill with cuts to social services, all Democratic senators opposed it, meaning the bill was unable to overcome a Democratic filibuster, falling short of the 60 votes it required.
Since a deal wasn’t reached, the government shutdown took effect. 900,000 federal employees were put on temporary leave without pay, and another 700,000 were forced to work without pay, including workers like air traffic controllers and TSA workers.
As a result of many workers being furloughed, a number of government agencies have shut down, including the CDC, FDA, and EPA, meaning that many processes of these agencies have been paused. Many museums and national parks, like the Smithsonian Museum, have also shut down due to a lack of workers and funding.
Many more institutions and businesses also risk closing if the government shutdown cannot be resolved and funding runs dry.
“In the short term, you won’t feel much impact. However, the longer it goes on, many services will begin to be cut,” said Mr. Klaff.
Unlike previous shutdowns, many federal workers who have been furloughed and have not been guaranteed back pays by the Trump Administration and Congress, which may render these workers unable to pay for their bills and basic living expenses if the shutdown continues for a long time. Trump has also initiated mass firings at unprecedented levels because of the layoffs, with roughly 4,200 terminations on Oct. 10, which will have similar effects to the limited back pays.
Port Washington may be hit hard by the government shutdown, as schools, businesses, and other public organizations may have to pay the price of the shutdown.
Many businesses, both small and large, in Port Washington will feel the impacts of the government shutdown. The government shutdown has initiated a federal loan freeze, which could be detrimental for businesses looking to expand their operations or using these funds to stay afloat. Also, businesses that are contractors for the federal government, meaning they do work
for the federal government, will be greatly impacted. As a result of the shutdown, many businesses may not get back pay, meaning they may not get paid for the work they did for the federal government.
Although schools in Port Washington may not be as affected by the shutdown as other schools, both statewide and nationwide, the Port Washington School District may be impacted if the shutdown continues. One thing Port Washington Schools receive from the federal government is Title I funds. These are funds that are allocated to schools based on the number of children in poverty, of which the Port Washington UFSD receives about $250,000.. The federal government taking away many different grants can add up quickly and cause financial trouble.
The government is still shut down as of Oct. 27 and while many services and institutions have yet to be impacted, this could quickly change as they run out of funding if a deal isn’t reached in Congress.