U.S. Government Shutdown Enters Its Third Week After New Failure in Congress

SadaNews - The U.S. Senate has failed for the eighth time to pass a temporary federal funding bill, resulting in the continuation of the government shutdown, which has now entered its third week, amidst sharp disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over key budget items.

During the session held yesterday, Tuesday, 45 members voted in favor of the bill while 45 voted against it, preventing the achievement of the required quorum of 60 votes needed to pass financial legislation.

The Republican Party, led by President Donald Trump and controlling both the House and the Senate, faces the challenge of convincing enough Democrats to support the temporary funding plan, amid stubborn stances regarding public spending and social programs.

It is worth noting that the United States experienced the longest government shutdown in its history between 2018 and 2019, when the stoppage lasted for 5 weeks, resulting in an estimated economic loss of about 11 billion dollars, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

This time, Trump is intensifying his pressure, hinting at broad measures that include the dismissal of public sector employees and the reduction of funding for liberal programs, in an attempt to force Congress to pass the budget on his terms, while fears of broader economic and political repercussions grow if the shutdown persists.

This government shutdown, the first in about seven years when the country experienced the longest shutdown in its history (lasting 35 days), began after Republicans failed to extend government funding beyond the end of the fiscal year in the United States.